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Every basketball player grows up dreaming of Game 7, but in practice, it doesn’t seem like much fun.
The defenses take drastic measures. Fouls are more difficult. The free-flowing offense a 10-year-old dreams of comes out the window and is replaced by a brand of bold, hard-hitting hoops that leaves the viewer exhausted (one can only imagine how the players feel).
But in those situations, when good but not great players look average and average players can’t be played, stars can become superstars.
Jayson Tatum’s resume has always been strong. He was the top scorer for an Eastern Conference finalist as a rookie. Last year, when his offense took a big step backward, his defense remained strong.
The individual moments also stand out. He sank over LeBron James in Game 7. During the breaking portion of his 2019-20 campaign, Tatum lost 41 points on 20 shots against James and the Los Angeles Lakers, and 39 points on 23 shots against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
But scoring 29 points (9 of 23 from the field, 4 of 8 of three) against a Game 7 defense was new, and not just any Game 7 defense, but against a smart, athletic, battle-tested Toronto. Raptors team clawing to defend their title.
“He is a superstar,” Kemba Walker said. “She showed it tonight. Does anyone have any questions or concerns about it? He showed it. Game 7, the most important game of the series, had the highest rebound of this series. Special boy, you know? He works hard, he wants to win, he loves to play with his teammates. It was incredible “.
The rebound Walker referred to came with less than a minute to go. Boston led by two, and rookie Grant Williams, after the coldest weather imaginable, blocked a pair of free throws. Tatum flew in from the free throw line to clear the board and was immediately fouled. He made one of his two free throws to give Boston a three-point lead, which he wouldn’t give up.
Tatum’s board was a 12, a high game. In fact, Tatum had the most points, rebounds and assists (seven) of any player on any team. When the Celtics needed a boost in the second half, he buried a pair of side triples, two huge shots that seemed to calm Boston. After those shots, the Celtics briefly entered the kind of offense that beat them Games 1 and 5, generating good looks from the movement of the ball to contain Toronto’s final push.
Tatum was also an integral part of Boston’s ball movement. Ask Jay Larranaga, the assistant coach assigned to work with Tatum individually, about the 22-year-old forward, and one of the first things he’s likely to mention is how quickly Tatum learns and processes new information. When the Celtics come up with a concept, they are often surprised to see Tatum implement it in an NBA game in a few days.
So maybe it shouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Tatum flourish as a pin.
“He just has a great sense of the game,” Stevens said. “And he’s looking at a lot of different coverage. In this series he saw everything he could see. So he’s done a great job handling it. I thought the two plays of the night were Smart’s block and Tatum’s rebound. They were both played by Unbelievable effort from two of our best players. So we’re lucky to keep going against a really special Toronto team and organization. But yeah, Tatum is really good. He does a lot of really good things. “
Tatum’s job is far from done and the Celtics now have real expectations. They can beat the Miami Heat (note: “can”, not necessarily “will”), and they have shown that they can play both Los Angeles teams. Those teams have superstars too: LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard have played and excelled in the kinds of high-pressure postseason games Tatum just won for the Celtics at age 22.
“That’s my third Game 7 I’ve played in,” Tatum said. “Lucky enough to win two of those and be back in the Eastern Conference Finals. I know how difficult it was when we lost my rookie year. Not everyone has this opportunity. You don’t take it for granted and this is special. There are only four teams left. “
As the Celtics move forward, they can feel good knowing that their best player has answered a question widely used by Basketball Take Havers.
Can Jayson Tatum be the best player in Game 7? We now know that the answer is “yes”.
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