The Boston Celtics have fallen to two shock losses this week, both at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. After their 122-123 OT loss tonight, Jayson Tatum kept it real with the media.
“Winning is hard. We’ve been fortunate to do a lot of that on the other side, so this is just a good reminder that we can never take those for granted. Every single night is going to be tough.”
Tatum also opened up on his inability to convert game-winning shots this season.
“I know I’ve missed a couple (game-winning shots) this year, so I was like, ‘Damn, I gotta be due for one.’ I have hit a bunch of them so far in my career, but you know, it’s part of it. Make or miss league. I enjoy being in those situations.”
"I know I've missed a couple this year, so I was like, 'Damn, I gotta be due for one'"
Jayson Tatum gives his perspective on his final shot of regulation pic.twitter.com/AA0dSoZ478
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 29, 2024
This was a sensational game, led by Dejounte Murray’s 44 points on 44 shots, along with seven rebounds and seven assists. Tatum had a solid night with 31 points and 13 rebounds but the and a fully healthy Celtics starting five could not stop the Hawks without Trae Young.
In their previous game, the Celtics blew a 30-point lead in a game without Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, but both guards were playing tonight and couldn’t alter the outcome.
This loss has little to no impact on where the Celtics regular season is headed over the final 10 games. The team has virtually locked up the No. 1 seed in the East and needs to have a pretty dramatic fall-off to not end the season with the best record in the NBA. The Celtics will be terrifying for any team in the postseason, but the West may feel confident given the weaknesses they’ve seen from Boston.
Jayson Tatum Was Not Happy After Their First Loss Either
Jayson Tatum’s demeanor in tonight’s interview was really interesting, as the Celtics star looked calm and composed. It’s a little different from when he was interviewed after their Monday night loss to the Hawks, where Tatum called out his team for not taking the game seriously.
“It’s tough. You want to win every game you play. For us, people think we should never lose. We were up by a lot, we f***ed the game up, and we know that. We’re all adults and professionals and know we didn’t do the things necessary to win. I think that’s sometimes easier to fix when you know if you do the right things and play the right way.”
The message of needing to take it on the chin and respond with a win tonight didn’t settle in with the locker room. The Celtics played with more aggression and consistency tonight, but they couldn’t create any separation from the Hawks which set them up to lose with an OT dagger.
Teams have had to work hard to beat the Celtics, with the Hawks pulling out two herculean performances to solidify their spot in the Play-In tournament. Boston is the best team in the NBA and teams are playing against them with that intensity. Now, they just need to find a way to consistently fend these challengers off in the playoffs.
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