Jayson Tatum simply obliterated the Philadelphia 76ers.
Heading into Sport 7, Tatum was driving the excessive of an elite end in Sport 6. However previous to that, he was ice chilly. He failed to attain within the first half of Sport 6, and Sport 3 was the final time he recorded a first-quarter area objective.
In Sport 7, he determined to place the Boston Celtics on his again.
“Our season might have been over in Sport 6,” mentioned Tatum. “Simply being in one other Sport 7, with the ability to come again residence in entrance of our followers, I used to be actually excited. Only for the second. To return out right here and play right now.”
Tatum went berserk, pouring in 51 factors on 17-of-28 capturing from the sector and 6-of-10 capturing from deep, setting the file for many factors in a Sport 7 in NBA historical past. He additionally added 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and two steals to his totals, all with out committing any turnovers.
Based on the NBA’s Sport Rating statistic, Tatum recorded a 46.0—the Thirteenth-best single recreation within the historical past of the NBA Playoffs. It’s the fourth-best displaying amongst lively gamers.
When the Celtics wanted it most, Tatum reworked into the most effective model of himself.
“As I’ve gotten older and gone via my profession, [I’m] simply making an attempt to develop,” mentioned Tatum. “I’ve at all times been capable of rating the ball. I’ve at all times sort of been checked out as a scorer. However to be the most effective participant, to be top-of-the-line gamers, what can I do each evening, on each ends of the ground, moreover 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 a substitute 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 suppose earlier than dropping again to guard the rim.
After which it was time for the threes.
“Get out of that man’s means,” mentioned Jaylen Brown. “He simply received it rolling, and there was nothing they may do to cease [him]. They began making an attempt to double-team him, and that simply gave open appears to different guys. When JT is taking part in like that, we’re going to be extraordinarily exhausting 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 had been.
When the fourth quarter rolled round, the 76ers had been all however buried. So, when Tatum cracked the 50-point mark, he threw up an enormous “5-0” to the gang.
“Jayson was in such a zone that it didn’t matter who was going to be on the market,” mentioned Al Horford. “It’s simply so exceptional what he was capable of do tonight. It’s so exceptional. A Sport 7, any such magnitude, there are such a lot of feelings. There’s lots 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 in need of dominant in Sport 7, getting issues executed 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 publish, Brown churned in a tremendous scoring evening, and everybody else on the group performed their function 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 group as storied because the Celtics, it’s practically inconceivable to face out.
That’s precisely what Tatum did in Sport 7. An all-time displaying from a blossoming Boston legend.
“I really like being right here,” mentioned Tatum. “I really like attending to placed on this uniform. I really like attending to play massive video games and placed on massive performances in entrance of [this crowd]. They usually feed off emotion and vitality and reciprocate it. I can’t specific sufficient that I simply love being right here and love taking part in in entrance of this crowd.”
