With the series tied at three games apiece, it was now or never for each team?s players. And eventually, it was the Boston Celtics that came out on top against the Philadelphia 76ers in a blowout. Celtics star Jayson Tatum went off, setting an NBA record in Game 7 with 51 points. And the motivation for him going big was a 10-year-old Celtics fan.
If being eliminated from the playoffs wasn?t enough motivation, Jayson Tatum connected with a 10-year-old Celtics fan. A fan who suffered from a lethal disease that in turn pushed Tatum to win the game for him as well.
What motivated Jayson Tatum to go big
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Jayson Tatum had a historic performance against Joel Embiid and James Harden in the final game of the series. JT had a career night, scoring 51 points along with 13 rebounds and 5 assists for the game as well. With his scoring outburst, Tatum set the record for most points scored in a Game 7 in league history.
As for the 76ers duo of MVPs, both players severely underperformed as Embiid scored 15 points whereas James Harden only had 9. But to wonder, what was fueling Tatum to have such a huge game against the 76ers?
It was Xavier, a 10-year-old Boston Celtics fan who was diagnosed with Cancer. Tatum met Xavier a couple of weeks ago, and the four-time All-Star gifted him a pair of his signature sneakers. The two stayed in touch since then and as a parent himself, it was hard for Tatum to see a child suffer from something like this. So, the Celtics star made sure to invite him and his mother for Game 7, which was co-incidentally on Mother?s Day.
Jayson Tatum saw himself in Xavier Goncalves. But their bond took everyone by surprise. https://t.co/gvs0vwrGce
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) May 17, 2023
?Tatum went on to say, ?To have his mother on Mother?s Day, to witness her son get to experience something like that, the joy that the game brought him. It was kind of inspiring.?
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A quick recap of the game
The final game between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers could?ve gone either way. Both teams had a lot on the line, but in the end, it was the Celtics moving on to the Conference Finals.
Jayson Tatum?s 51-point performance was enough to put the game away. But the numbers put up by the 76ers stars surely did play a role in the outcome of the game. Philadelphia was led by Tobias Harris? 19 points.
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Unfortunately, that certainly wasn?t enough as the Celtics ran away with the game, and came out on top with a final score of 112-88. Now let?s see if the Celtics can maintain the same level against the Miami Heat in the next round.