Jayson Tatum was glowing after he and Jaylen Brown combined for 50 points for the second consecutive night back in December of 2019, beating the Pistons in a blowout. They’d do it again the next night vs. the Hornets, then unload 64 combined on Cleveland, as the Celtics won 8-of-9 into the new year, with their stars connecting on run outs, threes and dunks. A win over the Nuggets featured shared haymakers through a decisive third, with both players finishing the frame with 20 points.
“We different,” Tatum told me that month. “You can probably tell (Brown’s) stronger than me, more athletic, faster, he can jump higher.