The former teammates face each other for the first time since Brown's trade to Philadelphia, with neither eager to discuss their fractured relationship.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are set to meet on opposite sides for the first time since Brown's trade to the 76ers this summer, and both are doing their best to act like it is nothing special. Tatum called it "another game on the schedule," refusing to engage with questions about the split.
Brown was not much warmer. Speaking to reporters after Philadelphia beat Chicago, he was asked about facing Boston and reuniting with his old running mate. Brown indicated he still has not spoken with Tatum and made clear he is not planning to initiate that conversation.
The two spent nine seasons together in Boston, reaching five Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals, and winning a championship in 2024. They were widely viewed as one of the league's best tandems, which makes the apparent coldness between them now notable. Reporting on the partnership's collapse suggests the relationship was more fragile than it appeared during their title run, with tension building quietly beneath the surface for years.
Whatever is left unsaid between them will be impossible to ignore when Boston and Philadelphia tip off Tuesday, even if neither player wants to make it about anything other than basketball.