It's been six days since the Celtics were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the first round at TD Garden, marking the first time in franchise history the team has blown a 3-1 series lead. In the days since the season-ending loss, the Jayson Tatum- Jaylen Brown discourse has been back in full force on social media and talk shows, with Brown doing his part to add fuel to the fire, calling the 2026 season his "favorite" year on his Twitch stream.

Celtics fans are no strangers to the Brown/Tatum relationship discourse, which seems to crop up yearly as the team has yet to recapture the magic of the 2024 NBA Championship run, but how much of that tension is a media-driven narrative? 

With Giannis Antetokounmpo having one foot out the door in Milwaukee, and Brown proving to the rest of the league that he can be "The Guy" for a team that's a top two seed in the Eastern Conference, the decision has been painted as much more inevitable than in years past. 

ESPN's Jay Williams certainly feels that way, saying, "it feels like a split-up is inevitable, they're going to force Brad Stevens hand" on 'Get Up' on Friday morning. 

Tatum and Brown have been teammates for nine seasons, during which the Celtics have reemerged as one of the NBA's premier franchises, making five Eastern Conference Finals appearances, two Finals appearances, and winning the 2024 Finals. Despite all their success, they cannot seem to shake the narrative that they don't get along. 

Yet, Brown and Tatum have always pushed back on that narrative, coexisted, and thrived in the difficult Boston media market. Brown has pushed back on the idea that he is ready to move on, saying on his latest stream that he could spend the next 10 years of his career in Boston. The idea that a split is inevitable is merely a media-driven narrative.

While both players have had to make sacrifices for the success of the team as a whole, both have still become well-established superstars in the league. Prior to missing most of the season recovering from a torn Achilles, Tatum was named to four consecutive All-NBA first teams. Brown is a five-time All-Star and was named to the 2023 All-NBA Second Team. 

Both Tatum and Brown received the super max contract extension and are two of the highest-paid players in the league. They are on their way to becoming first-ballot Hall of Famers and seeing their numbers raised to the TD Garden rafters. 

In today's NBA landscape, there is no winning an NBA title if you are not on a "super team" surrounded by at least two other superstar players. The fact of the matter is that neither Tatum nor Brown would be moved to a situation where they wouldn't be expected to make the same sacrifices they are making now. 

Celtics president Brad Stevens already knows that the duo of Tatum and Brown is more than capable of perennially competing for a title. The narrative that a split between the two is inevitable is only that, a media-driven narrative. Rather than choosing between Tatum and Brown, Stevens' offseason task should be simple: identify a third scorer to come in and supplement Tatum and Brown as the Celtics push for Banner 19.

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