The Boston Celtics have cruised through the Eastern Conference playoffs, but Jayson Tatum is not ready to look beyond Game 3. On Saturday, mere hours before tip-off, Tatum explained why it’s important not to let his team take their foot off the gas.
“It’s not time to relax. [The Pacers] were in this situation last round and ended up winning,” said Tatum, via Noa Dalzell. “The series is far from over and it is a big test for us tonight.”
Jayson Tatum on the Pacers being down 0-2:
“It’s not time to relax. They were in this situation last round and it ended up winning.” pic.twitter.com/gB7zuxqBfn
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 25, 2024
As the team with better health, more experience, and significantly more talent across the board, the Celtics are heavily favored to win the series, and a victory tonight in Indiana will all but secure the final result in their favor. If they move to the final round it will be their second Finals appearance in the past three years.
This year, unlike in seasons past, the path to the Finals has been a breeze for the Celtics. They faced a hopeless Heat team in the first round, who could barely challenge the Celtics without Jimmy Butler. The Heat lost in 5 games and only avoided a sweep thanks to a particularly hot shooting night from the role-players.
Tatum and his team faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, who were able to steal a game before Donovan Mitchell went down and essentially ended the series right there.
Now, all that’s standing between the Celtics and another trip to the Finals is two more wins against a 6th-seeded Pacers squad without their leader and franchise playmaker, Tyrese Haliburton.
If the Celtics focus on the mission tonight and take care of business against a weak opponent, they could earn a longer rest leading up to the Finals in June. If they somehow blow this opportunity, it will be a mistake that the team never lives down.
Jayson Tatum Is Facing The Maximum Pressure
After scoring 23 points in 42 minutes in Game 2 (on low efficiency), Tatum has been catching some heat across the NBA. Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White have done more than enough to keep the Celtics afloat this postseason but Jayson hasn’t been very impressive so far with poor shooting games and an abundance of ill-advised shots.
At 26 years old, Tatum still has a lot of time left in the limelight and he’ll have plenty of opportunities to win as he plays out the remainder of this contract with his co-star Jaylen Brown. But after six years together, and no championships won, the pressure is on for Tatum to finish the job and carry the Celtics to a championship like everybody is expecting.
In 2022, Tatum had his best chance of joining the ranks of NBA legends but when it came time to step up against the Warriors, he couldn’t get it done. This time, no matter who comes out of the West, Tatum will be ready and he’s not about to underestimate any opponent in his path.
Through 12 playoff games this season, Tatum is averaging 25.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. The Celtics are 10-2 against the East so far and are on pace to make the Finals with an impressive level of ease. All that’s left to do for Tatum is handle business against this Pacers team and play at his best in the upcoming Finals so he can finally take the mantle as a champion and put all the doubts about his leadership to bed once and for all.
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