The endless enigma that is Jayson Tatum
The Boston Celtics are fortunate that it’s not all on the shoulders of Jayson Tatum to win a championship this year.
Tatum ultimately came through for the C’s in overtime of their Game 1 win over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. He’s certainly capable of coming through and has done it in some big games. He just hasn’t done it to close out an NBA championship, which isn’t necessarily a knock on the still-growing 26-year-old. But 2024 may be the best opportunity he’ll ever have to reach that summit, and it’s possible the Celtics are going to need a cleaner, more consistent effort from him in crunch time.
Tatum is simply the wildest roller coaster in Boston sports. The man is an enigma.
If not for Jaylen Brown’s incredible clutch three-pointer to save the Celtics from a Game 1 loss in the closing seconds of regulation, much of the conversation would rightfully focus on Tatum’s fourth quarter. Felger and Mazz might do three and a half hours on it. But don’t blame us squawking birds in the media, that’s on Tatum.
Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Halliburton (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)
Four points on 2-of-7 shooting in the fourth. Four straight missed shots to close out regulation, including two in the final minute. A spillover into overtime, highlighted by one of the worst turnovers Tatum will ever commit, which briefly gave the Pacers the lead.
Then, all of a sudden, Tatum got his mojo back. He drove to the hoop for a game-tying bucket with just 1:12 left in OT, plus the and-1 to retake the lead. And his biggest moment was a dagger three-pointer to put the Celtics up by four.
“I’m so glad we won the game, because I would have been sick,” Tatum said, when asked about that brutal turnover. That’s probably a good sign for him, the fact that losing and playing a big role in it would make him sick. That should help him sharpen up and avoid it in future games.
Tyrese Halliburton, Jayson Tatum (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The better sign is how Tatum responded. He missed his first shot attempt after the turnover, but ended up closing the way a championship-caliber star should. He scored 10 of the Celtics’ final 14 points in overtime, and all 10 within the final two and a half minutes.
But damn if he didn’t make it hurt for a while before he elevated back. Anyone who follows the action on Twitter knows what the reactions were like when Tatum was missing shots and giving the ball away late, and the way fan emotions roared back in the other direction when he delivered in the end.
Tatum needed Brown’s heroics to make his overtime possible in the first place, and also a superb all-around effort from Jrue Holiday. It goes to show just how deep this Celtics team is, and why they should win the championship even without a perfect night from Tatum.
MORE: How Brown and Tatum stayed ready for their big moments
“JT finally woke up, made some baskets, and we were able to make some plays toward the end,” a brutally frank Brown said during a postgame interview with Lisa Salters on ESPN. “But, we’ve got to be better, to be honest. But I’ll take the win tonight.”
In those critical moments late in close games, Tatum may need to be perfect at times. He may need to be better. Because the ball is going to be in his hands for that last shot at some point. His legacy won’t be defined by box scores, but how he performs when he’s needed the most. Perhaps his overtime awakening has unlocked yet another level.
Until then, roller coaster. Enigma. But a fascinating player. Hopefully for Boston, an enigmatic champion.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
Mazz: Five takeaways from the Celtics and Pacers in Game 1
The Pacers play better offense than the Celtics do
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 21: Tyrese Haliburton #0 and Ben Sheppard #26 of the Indiana Pacers react during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Before you give yourself a wedgie, this doesn’t mean the Indiana offense is more explosive, more talented or more fearsome. It just means that they play better together. Or at least they did last night. The Pacers are constantly moving, non-stop, and pass the ball as well as any team in the league. (In flashes, they were reminiscent of the Golden State Warriors at their peak.) Indiana finished the game with a whopping 38 assists, tying the league high this postseason set by … Indiana, against Milwaukee earlier in the playoffs. (The Pacers had a league-high 50 assists in a game during the regular season.) If the Celtics moved the ball like the Pacers do, they could score 150 points with regularity. The Pacers also committed 22 turnovers, none more costly than the two at the end of the game. (They had another ugly two at the end of overtime.) The Celtics certainly had a hand in this, especially Jaylen Brown, who finished with three steals and was a huge factor at the defensive end in the second half.
The Celtics dribble too much
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 21: Obi Toppin #1 of the Indiana Pacers defends against Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
With all the microanalysis that exists in today’s NBA, we’ll give bonus points for anyone who can find out how many dribbles the Celtics took last night. Why? Because in contrast to the Pacers, who always seem to be advancing the ball with a purpose – by pass, dribble or otherwise – the Celtics certainly seem to bog themselves down with slow, wasted dribbles, often with someone (Jayson Tatum?) operating in isolation. Do the Celtics have good isolation players? Yes. But they seem to look for one-on-one mismatches on every trip down the floor, particularly without Kristaps Porzingis. If the Celtics want to run and gun with the Pacers, they’re going to actually have to, you know, run to get open. Brown noted how fast the Pacers were in Game 1, suggesting the Celtics were unprepared for it. So was this merely a result of the Celtics having been idle last week while the Pacers were wrapping up with the New York Knicks? Or is Indiana actually the better offensive team?
The Celtics relied too heavily on 3-pointers
May 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA;Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) shoots the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first half for game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
We know, we know … you’ve heard this before. But it’s true. The Celtics shot 15-of-45 from 3-point distance, precisely 33.3 percent. Meanwhile, they shot 32-of-54 on 2-pointers, just under 60 percent. Does that mean they shouldn’t shoot 3s? Hardly. But of Boston’s 45 attempts, a team-leading 12 were by Al Horford, who made only three of them (25 percent). Look, we all know the Celtics are going to fire up a truckload of 3s because that’s just the way they play. But against the Pacers, that only fuels a frantic pace that favored Indiana in Game 1. If that continues, the Celtics might be smarter to actually slow the game down and force the Pacers to play in the half-court. The obvious concern is rim protection, something neither team did a particularly good job of in Game 1. This game was a track meet and often seem too fast for Horford, in particular. Meanwhile, Sam Hauser was overwhelmed.
Jrue Holiday was the Celtics best player
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 21: Jrue Holiday #4 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
No one should be surprised by this because games like this are precisely why Holiday is here. While the rest of the Celtics seemed to be chasing for much of the night, an unaffected Holiday seemed to be playing at his pace. He finished second on the team with 28 points (18 in the second half, a team-leading eight in the fourth quarter), eight rebounds and seven assists to go along with three steals. Was he perfect? No. (He also had a team-high four turnovers.) But Holiday provided the kind of stability that the Celtics needed and, as usual, he was able to score in the paint with impressive efficiency. (He was 6-for-8 on 2-pointers, many of them in or around the rim.) When Haliburton dribbled the ball out of bounds in overtime – Indiana also turned the ball over twice in the final minute or so of overtime – it was at least partly because Holiday was hounding him, pressuring the young Indiana guard.
Jayson Tatum’s night was mixed – and the Celtics need better
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 21: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The final line looks good: 36 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and team-leading plus-20 in 45:32 of playing time. But in the fourth quarter, Tatum was just 2-of-7 and 0-for-3 from distance. (Frankly, Jrue Holiday and, then, Brown’s desperation 3-pointer saved him.) In the overtime, Tatum scored a team-best 10 points and buried a critical 3-pointer, though he also committed a hellacious, inexcusable turnover that allowed Indiana to take a 123-121 lead. Had the Celtics lost this game in regulation, we would be scrutinizing Tatum today for another ugly finish. And did we mention that the ball stuck with him way too frequently? Said the Celtics star after the game: “I’m so glad we won that game because I would have been sick (about the turnover). You don’t jump and pass the ball, so that was on me. It was still a lot of time left and (we had to) try to figure out how to win the game.”
Or, Indiana had a figure out a way to lose it.
Or both.
