Ahead of Game 5, Jayson Tatum spoke to the media about the pressures of playing for the Celtics. Tatum dismissed any feeling of pressure, and just attributed it to the passion of the fanbase. He praised the Celtics faithful for showing them unconditional love and support, and for turning up every time they compete for a championship.
“I don’t look at it as pressure. I do notice, especially this time of the season, playoff time, and obviously, being in the NBA Finals for the second time – when you drive around and go to the gas station or, I went to get some ice cream yesterday. It’s Celtics gear everywhere, and everybody is super excited about this team, what we’ve accomplished, and what we have the chance to accomplish.”
“You really just feel the love and support from everybody in the city of Boston, and how bad they want us to win, how much they’ve been cheering for us. I don’t look at it as pressure, just unconditional support. We have an amazing fanbase here.”
"You really just feel the love and support from everybody in the city of Boston."
Jayson Tatum on the pressure of playing for Boston ☘️ pic.twitter.com/rLw4GIK0jx
— NBA (@NBA) June 16, 2024
The timing of Tatum’s comments is no coincidence, as he probably is trying to rally the Celtics fanbase ahead of Game 5. The Mavericks blew them out in Game 4, which kept them alive in the series. Perhaps Tatum is trying to encourage the fanbase to show out in Game 5 to put pressure on the Mavericks in the close-out game.
Tatum has struggled in the NBA Finals so far, averaging 20.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, while shooting just 36.5% from the field and 29% from the three-point line. Tatum hasn’t been at his best in this series, despite the Celtics winning their first three games in the NBA Finals.
Kyrie Irving Claims He Didn’t Respect Celtics The Way Fans Expected
Kyrie Irving also spoke about his time with the Celtics ahead of Game 5. Irving showed humility, noting that he didn’t buy into the culture and pathos of the Celtics while he was there, which caused him to be alienated by fans. Irving took the blame for the tense tenure he had while wearing the white and green.
“You have to show your respect here and I think that’s where I struggled with initially, was here to be a great player here, about winning championships about leading the team. That’s what they expect you to do as a player.”
“They expect you to seamlessly buy into the Celtics’ pride, buy into everything Celtics. And if you don’t, then you’ll be outed. I think that’s on the outs. I did it to myself. They don’t welcome me with warm embrace, even though I know a lot of people in the organization and my friends still here.”
“But yeah, it was just a doing to myself. And that’s what I was talking about in terms of stepping to choices. But looking back on it definitely would have showed my respect and had more of a counsel around me from Boston Celtics that came before me to explain what the pressure is like.”
The Celtics fanbase has definitely gotten to Irving in the series so far, as they have relentlessly jeered and booed him in the first two games of the NBA Finals. Irving will be hoping to get his revenge tomorrow night, as he and the Mavericks look to steal a game on the road and keep their championship aspirations alive.
The Celtics will be looking to close the NBA Finals out tomorrow, as they do not want to risk this series possibly going to seven games. If the Celtics can win tomorrow, they will win their first championship since 2008, and it would cement Tatum and Jaylen Brown as Celtics greats.
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