Jayson Tatum has spent all season proving that he is a bonafide superstar in the modern NBA. His ascension has been visible since his rookie year, but this season, Tatum really developed into a top 10 player in the league and is sitting in the Conference Finals with the Boston Celtics.
Tatum has been crucial to Boston’s run so far and had a fantastic 31-point game in Game 4, his third this series with 20 points in the first half. The one game he didn’t do that was Game 3, where Tatum ended the night with 10 points in an abysmal showing that caused many people to question Tatum’s legitimacy as a top player in the league.
His two-way performance today led the Celtics to a dominant win and shut a lot of the critics up. Tatum went into this game without letting the hate from his Game 3 performance get to him and he excelled.
"I didn't doubt myself, I know how to play basketball."
Jayson Tatum on his mentality entering Game 4 after a tough loss in Game 3. pic.twitter.com/vKM1AmXYJY
— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2022
“I mean, right after, it’s tough, right? Frustrated with how you played, knowing how important this time of year is. Feeling like you let your teammates down, especially in a — we lost by like six. But I think I do a really good job of after I sleep it off, regardless if I have 10 points or 46 points, the next day is the next day, and whatever happened happened. I’m a big believer in you can’t change what happened. Last 48 hours have been cool, watching basketball, eat, just a normal day. Obviously I was ready to get back to play, but I didn’t doubt myself. I know how to play basketball. Regardless how many points I scored, just trying to come out and help us get a win. That was what was most important.
Tatum and the Celtics will look to carry this form into Miami, as the Heat will be the hosts of Game 5 with a 2-2 series. Health is a massive question for both teams, so it will be challenging to predict who is going to be playing on both sides.
We know Tatum will be on the court unless something catastrophic happens. They will be motivated to make it a 3-2 series coming back to Boston and answer the fans’ wishes of ‘C’s in 6’ at home.
