Jayson Tatum simply obliterated the Philadelphia 76ers.
Heading into Game 7, Tatum was driving the excessive of an elite end in Game 6. However previous to that, he was ice chilly. He failed to attain within the first half of Recreation 6, and Game 3 was the final time he recorded a first-quarter area purpose.
In Recreation 7, he determined to place the Boston Celtics on his again.
“Our season might have been over in Recreation 6,” stated Tatum. “Simply being in one other Recreation 7, having the ability to come again house in entrance of our followers, I used to be actually excited. Only for the second. To come back out right here and play at present.”
Tatum went berserk, pouring in 51 factors on 17-of-28 taking pictures from the sector and 6-of-10 taking pictures from deep, setting the report for many factors in a Recreation 7 in NBA historical past. He additionally added 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and two steals to his totals, all with out committing any turnovers.
In keeping with the NBA’s Recreation Rating statistic, Tatum recorded a 46.0—the Thirteenth-best single sport in the history of the NBA Playoffs. It’s the fourth-best exhibiting amongst lively gamers.
When the Celtics wanted it most, Tatum remodeled into one of the best model of himself.
“As I’ve gotten older and gone via my profession, [I’m] simply making an attempt to develop,” stated Tatum. “I’ve at all times been capable of rating the ball. I’ve at all times type of been checked out as a scorer. However to be one of the best participant, to be top-of-the-line gamers, what can I do each night time, on each ends of the ground, apart from scoring to influence the sport? Dominating in these methods.”
The sport started with an aggressive model of Tatum. He solely took two threes within the first half, as an alternative selecting to assault the paint and get to the charity stripe. By halftime, he had already tried eight free throws.
He then moved on to the mid-range, guaranteeing the 76ers needed to assume earlier than dropping again to guard the rim.
After which it was time for the threes.
“Get out of that man’s means,” stated Jaylen Brown. “He simply obtained it rolling, and there was nothing they might do to cease [him]. They began making an attempt to double-team him, and that simply gave open appears to be like to different guys. When JT is enjoying like that, we’re going to be extraordinarily laborious to beat.”
Three after three after three, Tatum shoved his success in Philadelphia’s face, draining a number of photographs in Joel Embiid’s face and getting the TD Backyard crowd amped up. Regardless of how well-defended he was, Tatum was pulling with confidence. He nailed 4 threes within the third quarter alone.
Tatum even earned a Mike Breen “BANG” name within the third quarter. That’s how dominant he and the Celtics have been.
When the fourth quarter rolled round, the 76ers have been all however buried. So, when Tatum cracked the 50-point mark, he threw up a giant “5-0” to the gang.
“Jayson was in such a zone that it didn’t matter who was going to be on the market,” stated Al Horford. “It’s simply so outstanding what he was capable of do tonight. It’s so outstanding. A Recreation 7, one of these magnitude, there are such a lot of feelings. There’s quite a lot of depth. For him to play that, that’s what particular gamers do.”
After a sequence filled with struggles, Tatum got here via. He was nothing wanting dominant in Recreation 7, getting issues achieved on each ends of the courtroom and outdueling the league MVP. It was his best particular person efficiency to this point.
The remainder of the squad confirmed up, too. Horford shut down Embiid within the put up, Brown churned in an incredible scoring night time, and everybody else on the staff performed their position to perfection. However Tatum was the pinnacle of the snake.
In a metropolis with a historical past as wealthy as Boston’s and on a staff as storied because the Celtics, it’s practically unimaginable to face out.
That’s precisely what Tatum did in Recreation 7. An all-time exhibiting from a blossoming Boston legend.
“I really like being right here,” stated Tatum. “I really like attending to placed on this uniform. I really like attending to play large video games and placed on large performances in entrance of [this crowd]. And so they feed off emotion and power and reciprocate it. I can’t specific sufficient that I simply love being right here and love enjoying in entrance of this crowd.”
