Parquet plays: JB to JT, JT to the history books

To play for the Celtics is to know that you’re part of a rich history of success in Boston. The list of Hall of Famers is long and their accomplishments storied. So when one of your teammates has a chance to add his name to the record books, you do everything you can to help him do it.

Late in the fourth quarter against the Timberwolves on Friday night, the Celtics were on the verge of completing a comeback against Minnesota and were looking to close out the game. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum crossed half court on a break away. Tatum was nearing the 50-point mark and everybody in the building knew it, including Brown. Then this happened:

It was a selfless act, but mindful of the moment. Brown knew this was Tatum’s night.

“Everybody recognized how unselfish that was, just to know the night I was having,” Tatum said after the game. “He could’ve easily scored and we would’ve still had two points, but it just shows the growth in all of us that, in the moment, we’re happy for one another and we enjoy each other’s success.”

The game would eventually go into overtime and Tatum would score 53 points on the night. Tatum became the youngest Celtic ever to score 50+ points in a single game and yesterday, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.