Jayson Tatum went off on the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, dropping 50 points to give the Boston Celtics a big win to secure the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference.
He faced childhood friend Bradley Beal and tore him and his team apart, taking the C’s to a 118-100 win at the TD Garden. It was a big performance for Tatum, and Beal knew how to appreciate that. After the game was over, he had nothing but good things to say about his close friend and how he approached the game.
“He was excited about the game. He was up. And it didn’t matter who was in front of him,” Beal told reporters. “That’s something that I’ve been trying to tell his ass for years.
“It’s tough when you guard him. I mean, he’s 6’9”. He can get his shot off, he’s strong, and he can shoot the ball. He’s a three-level scorer. So, you’ve got to respect everything he can do on the floor.
“I just tried to make it difficult for him, be physical. I know a lot of his moves, so a lot of it, I was there, but I’m only 6’3″. So, I wish I was 6’9″ with robotic arms, but he’s a special talent, man. I’ve been saying that since he was in diapers.”
Tatum was on a mission Tuesday night. The W would give his team a spot in the playoffs, and JT was keen to beat Beal at any cost. Otherwise, Bradley wouldn’t leave him in peace.
“I didn’t want to lose to Brad,” Tatum said in his postgame interview. “I would have had to hear that for the rest of my career.”
Childhood friends @jaytatum0 and @RealDealBeal23 discuss playing against one another in the #StateFarmPlayIn. pic.twitter.com/0wzZo1gFdu
— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2021
Before the game, Beal already had good things to say about Tatum, even claiming the 23-year-old would be 1000 times better than him when he finishes his career.
Bradley Beal on Jayson Tatum: "When it's all said and done, he'll be a thousand times better than me."
— BostonCelticsForever (@BostonCelts4eva) May 18, 2021
Jayson has improved his game season after season, and it’s good to watch him become the player he’s becoming. This young baller has been touted as ‘potential GOAT’ by several people, but it’s still early to say if that’s true.
The only certain thing is that he’s willing to carry his Celtics this postseason, especially in the absence of Jaylen Brown after a season-ending injury. Now the Celtics will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs, trying to upset Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving and shock the entire NBA world.
