Boston Celtics Olympic Snubs Could Make Defending Champs Even More Dangerous…
A vengeance tour typically begins in any sport prior to a team winning a championship. A party tries to reach the summit of the mountain but is unsuccessful.
The next year, they’re back for vengeance.
2023–24 was one of the Boston Celtics’ most dominant seasons in NBA history. They took home the title at the end of the year, something that had eluded the team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown from 2017–18.
After winning the championship, the Celtics ought to have been allowed to enjoy their time off before heading back to training camp to try to win another Larry O’Brien Trophy.
It is not at all what took place.
Brown was left off of the US team that won two gold medals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Tatum was a given for Team USA because he was the greatest player on a championship team and ranked among the top ten in the NBA. Despite being an afterthought and only starting two of the six games, he made the squad.
This might be the unique instance of a revenge tour following a title—possibly never previously witnessed.
It is more likely that Brown and Tatum will want to disprove their skeptics for the second year in a row rather than solidify their position as NBA champions and two of the top players in the game.
And that might make a squad that is already primed to win two titles in a row since the Golden State Warriors of 2017–18 even more formidable.
At the Olympics, Jayson Tatum was an afterthought for Team USA.
They even dubbed it a conspiracy.
Tatum participated in the Olympics for a total of 71 minutes. He made six free throw attempts and 21 field goals. 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds were his averages.
In terms of minutes and games played, he ranked 11th out of 12 players; in terms of shot attempts and total points, he ranked 10th.
All of this is to indicate that, despite being more skilled at the same position as Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker, Tatum was not a featured player under Team USA head coach Steve Kerr.
Devin Booker vs. Anthony Edwards vs. Jayson Tatum (2024 Olympic Stats)
The absence of Tatum sparked a lot of discussion in the media.
Former NBA players Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford claim that the two Celtics players are the victims of a plot.
During an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show, Charles Barkley specifically called out Kerr (h/t Complex).
“He has every motive to play Jayson Tatum. Jayson Tatum most likely would have been the greatest player on France, and the second-best player on Serbia. That he played no minutes in two games… Man, come on, that wasn’t fair or right. — Charles Barkley
It’s true that Victor Wembanyama would disagree with Barkley’s assessment of France, but Tatum, one of the league’s biggest talents, ought to have had more chances to make an impact.
After winning the gold, he joined exclusive company, but he stands out among them all.
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