Halfway by the fourth quarter Sunday night time, with all eyes on him and the 76ers gasping for air, Jayson Tatum swished a 3 in Joel Embiid’s face and held up the “5-0” to remind everybody within the constructing that this was his night time.
Tatum poured in 51 factors (17-of-28 taking pictures), breaking the NBA’s all-time Sport 7 report set by Stephen Curry two weeks prior. It was a transcendent, wonderful efficiency – one NBA followers will reminisce about a long time later and one that may absolutely make Tatum’s mom, Brandy Cole, proud.
He fueled a dominant second half, because the Celtics turned a three-point lead right into a decisive 112-88 victory at TD Backyard.
Boston has now made the Jap Convention Finals 5 of the final seven seasons. Subsequent up is a well-recognized foe within the Miami Warmth. Sport 1 is Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in Boston.
Sunday ended up as a shellacking, however it didn’t begin out that manner, because the Celtics and Sixers traded buckets all through a charming first half.
Tatum, clearly sick of listening to about his early-game struggles, got here out aggressive and centered on attacking the basket. He and Robert Williams electrified the gang with back-to-back dunks, serving to the Celtics take an 8-2 edge.
The Sixers responded, as James Harden and Co. discovered P.J. Tucker huge open within the nook on a number of events. Boston appeared content material with leaving Tucker free, however he capitalized and took benefit of practically each alternative.
Philadelphia constructed a 26-20 edge by 1, behind 11 factors from Tucker and 4 assists from Harden. Tatum paced the Celtics with 11, but Boston relied considerably on isolation basketball and shot simply 36 p.c in comparison with 50 p.c for Philadelphia.
Boston reclaimed momentum early within the second, when Harden whacked a mask-less Jaylen Brown (25 factors), made him bleed and obtained a flagrant foul. Brown hit each, Tatum and Williams linked on an alley-oop, then Brown completed inside to focus on a 9-0 flurry that tied the sport at 35.
Throughout that run, Georges Niang appeared to intentionally seize Brown’s leg from the bench, and each gamers obtained technical fouls. The Georges Knee-Ang jokes had been inevitable.
Almost each Sport 7 is chippy, however this half took chippiness to a different degree. The Backyard crowd was engaged the entire manner, as Brown requested, and the Celtics gave them a deal with.
The Celtics managed to grab momentum after a collection of delays, and Tatum completed off his 25-point half with a step-back 3 within the last minute. Boston moved the ball with extra conviction within the second quarter and took a 55-52 edge into halftime.
That’s when Tatum took over, electrifying the gang with a collection of stepbacks and layups. Tatum outscored the 76ers himself within the third quarter, as Boston used a 33-10 third to grab command.
The fourth was largely a formality, as Tatum completed what he began and the Celtics superior.
Philadelphia had completely no reply, as Tatum reminded everybody that he’s, humbly, among the best gamers on the planet.
