“I’ve seen one before, and it was in this room, unfortunately. It was LeBron. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen such a performance in person and I’m glad I haven’t seen many. Jayson Tatum has been amazing.”
Eleven years after LeBron James’ Game 6 with 45 points and 15 rebounds in Boston, Doc Rivers once again had to bow to the excellence of an individual. In Game 7 between the Celtics and the Sixers, it’s Jayson Tatum who pulled out all the stops to qualify the C’s for the conference finals and send Philadelphia on vacation.
An end of Game 6 as a mental adjustment
Author of a big first half (25 points), Jayson Tatum caught fire on returning from the locker room to plant 17 points in the third quarter and show the way to his team during 12 one-way minutes (33 -10) who made him a little more legendary.
“I was really excited, just in the moment, to be able to get out there and play today. I had in mind that I played as badly as possible for 42 or 43 minutes (in Game 6). And we have a saying that from there you can only do better”, did he declare.
His performance was indeed in line with the end of his Game 6 when he planted 16 of his 19 points in the last quarter, with important baskets and especially the victory at the end. A turning point since this end of the match freed his mind for Game 7.
“There is no doubt that Game 6 was the most difficult for me. I was too focused. I was too tense. I was too much in my head thinking about what I should do, how many points I should score,” he added. “Today, I was more myself. Before the match, I was relaxed, I laughed, I joked. That’s where I play best, when I’m having fun. I tried not to think about the pressure, about what everyone is going to say. I just focused on the game and had fun.”
A legendary game
The result was up to the task since in addition to putting his team on the right track and snatching qualification for a new conference final, Jayson Tatum made history, becoming the best scorer in history on a Game 7 (15 days after Stephen Curry’s 50 points).
What to assume his words, when he declared after Game 6 that he was “in all modesty, one of the best players in the world”. His performance in this life-and-death encounter proves him right.
Now it’s time for a new conference final against Miami, “a team with which we are extremely familiar, which is very well coached”for an opposition that should not fail to inspire Jayson Tatum.
| Jayson Tatum | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 80 | 31 | 47.5 | 43.4 | 82.6 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 13.9 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 79 | 31 | 45.0 | 37.3 | 85.5 | 0.9 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 15.7 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 66 | 34 | 45.0 | 40.3 | 81.2 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 23.4 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 64 | 36 | 45.9 | 38.6 | 86.8 | 0.8 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 76 | 36 | 45.3 | 35.3 | 85.3 | 1.1 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 26.9 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 74 | 37 | 46.6 | 35.0 | 85.4 | 1.1 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 30.1 |
| Total | 439 | 34 | 45.8 | 37.5 | 84.7 | 0.9 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 22.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
