Jayson Tatum grabbed the attention on Thursday not only with his performance during the Boston Celtics game against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals but also in the pre-game warm-up session with his shirt.
Tatum’s high regard for the Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is not unknown to anyone. The forward showed a glimpse of it by wearing a Celtics shirt of the same design that the Black Mamba donned at the time of his Celtics pre-draft workout.
Before the game, there was immense pressure on the Celtics squad because of their previous failure in the finals two years ago. Tatum admitted in the post-game press conference, “I ain’t gonna lie. I was nervous in like an anxious way.” However, what helped him loosen up was showing up in the iconic white shirt and paying tribute to Kobe.
Prior to joining the Lakers, the five-time NBA champion was about to be in the Celtics green and even participated in the workout run by Cs assistant coach Dennis Johnson. Though the franchise believed Kobe had tremendous talent, the deal didn’t work out because they thought he was not ready for the league.
After gearing up in Kobe’s style and honoring the late legend in the warm-ups, Tatum led the Celtics to a 107-89 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum and Celtics Keep Mavericks at Bay
The Boston Celtics were the dominant side right from the tip-off, entertaining the TD crowd with their outstanding attacks. They went for a 21-point lead in the opening half and defended it in the latter. The Mavs tried cutting the deficit in the last two quarters, but the damage was already done.
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Jayson Tatum contributed 16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block while shooting 6/16 from the floor and 3/7 from the 3-point range. Jaylen Brown added 22 points and even after missing the last 10 games due to injury, Kristaps Porziņģis managed to put up 20 points on the Celtics scoreboard.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic recorded a game-high 30 points, along with 10 rebounds, but his teammates hardly received any offensive help.
Following the disappointing loss, the Mavs would want to make a comeback in Game 2 on Sunday to keep the championship fight going.
Also Read: Luka Doncic Stands Tall Despite Mavericks’ Loss, Joins Elite Company In His NBA Finals Debut
