Jason Kidd denies label Boston Celtics fans gave his perceived Jayson Tatum slight

Jason Kidd and his Dallas Mavericks squad are in a deficit and trying to dig out of the hole they're in after dropping Game 1 and Game 2 at the TD Garden.

Prior to Game 2, Kidd let out some interesting comments regarding Jayson Tatum. This came after an occurrence when he claimed that his teammate, Jaylen Brown, is Joe Mazzulla's best player. A hot take that had social media going crazy.

"[Jayson Tatum]'s one of the best players in the world," Kidd said to the media on June 11 (h/t Dallas Basketball). “So you're trying to just make it tough. And that's all you can do, is hopefully guard the first move, guard the second move, guard the third move, and contest. And guys are doing that at a high rate, and just trying to make it tough on him.

Yes, these comments are positive and show that there is respect for Tatum, but rightfully so, he's earned that kind of recognition.

Nonetheless, his comments are subjective, even if he is an NBA champion.

Was Jason Kidd trying to play mind games with Jayson Tatum?

Some had concerns that Kidd was trying to play mind games, but he clarified that was not the case.

"Everybody thought my comments was mental warfare," Kidd said.

Mental warfare, mind games, whatever you wanna call it, there's no harm in thinking that he was trying to take a jab at Tatum.

Regardless, Tatum, can handle that pressure — heck, he's already faced Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. This whole situation is so minuscule for a player of his caliber.

All the antics off the court can happen as they please, but that will not be the deciding factor in who's going to hoist up the Larry O'Brien trophy.

It's all about what happens on the hardwood, not off of it.