The Celtics have been the prime example of team play throughout the postseason, and the NBA Finals were no different. In the first two games, Jayson Tatum and Co. blew the Mavericks out of the water to take a 2-0 lead to Dallas. While Tatum struggles with his scoring, his impact on the game remains the same: He evades the naked eye.
During the post-game press conference on Monday, Tatum was asked if his desire to score would get in the way of the Celtics winning the championship. In response, JT said, “I’ve been here before. We didn’t win. We’re so close to what we’re trying to accomplish.” He further added in a cross-questioning tone, “Why would I let my ego or my need to score [get in the way of that]..”
The Cs’ motto remained “whatever it takes” to get to the finish line, and personal glory has been an afterthought throughout the season. Jason Kidd tried to stir some tensions in the opposition locker room, but Tatum thwarted that by openly exposing the Mavs HC’s divide-and-conquer strategy.
While the Mavs tried to stop Tatum by using double coverage (sometimes triple), Tatum’s option was simple: roll the ball to his teammates to score. This led to the forward reaching a career milestone.
Jayson Tatum Hits Career Milestone in Game 2
Jayson Tatum had a career-high assist of 8 before game 2, and he touched it again in the first half. In the second half, he added 4 more to take his tally on the night to 12 assists, a game-high, with Luka Doncic trailing by one.
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Tatum took full advantage of the increased attention around his game employed by the Mavs. The 26-year-old punished them heavily with his threaded passing throughout the game and finished with an 18-9-12 stat line, missing a triple-double by a hair’s length.
After Jaylen Brown took home the ECF MVP, many critics indicated that Tatum was jealous of his teammate, but that was only a clout chase take as JT doubled down on the Celtics’ collective effort, which was locked in to win their 18th Larry O’Brien trophy.
Also Read: Jayson Tatum Is on Silent Mission After Media Narrative Leaves Mama Tatum “Very Upset”
