Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Puts Himself Above LeBron James By Setting New NBA Playoff Record

The Boston Celtics swept the 76ers in round 1 and led the series against the Raptors, who had to do all the catching up. This is new for them to have been trailing in a playoff series. Miami Heat got them on their toes with a 3-1 lead, but the Celtics are responding well.

The men in green won Game 5 quite comfortably, but it took them time to take the command over the game. The Miami Heat dominated the initial 25 minutes but then began to collapse. From 60-51 up to 60-64 down, they allowed the Celtics to pick the confidence. Jayson Tatum did the trick for them as they won 121-108 to make it 2-3. 

Jayson Tatum again won it for the ailing Boston Celtics side!

Looks like Jayson Tatum is in no mood to witness a repetition of the 2018 eastern conference final, where the Celtics lost to the Cavaliers in Game 7. In that series, Tatum recorded an average of 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. However, this time around he is playing far better in his third post-season of the NBA career. He has dropped five 30-point games so far in the 16 games. 

Kevin McHale belonged to that era of the Boston Celtics when winning an NBA Championship was a given for them. The franchise had won 16 rings until 1986. They lost their title contention in 1988 to the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals, but Kevin had one great year. Now Jayson Tatum seems to replicate that performance as he set up an impressive record as a 22-year-old. 

Beating the likes of LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson (all played for Lakers) never comes easy. Hence, it’s not surprising that he is averaging 25.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists this post-season.

Tatum is reviving the legacy!

These records by Tatum so early in his playing career begin to hold even greater importance when we consider other greats that played for the franchise. Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and some other biggies that played for the Celtics too could not pull such a wonder in the playoffs.

Tatum had a rough Game 4 against the Miami Heat where he scored his first point only after the team already were trailing 50-60. Given that, this 31-point performance with 8/22 FG and 12/14 FT gives a huge relief to his camp. They will next play a do-or-die on Tuesday when Tatum is expected to perform again.