The Boston Celtics secured their sixth Eastern Conference Finals berth in eight years with their 113-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum had a solid day at the office, recording 25 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, leading the team in the first two categories.
Tatum was equally as crafty after the game, as he avoided a tricky question from guest commentator Draymond Green, via NBA on TNT.
Green first claimed that the New York Knicks and one of the Dallas Mavericks or Denver Nuggets would most likely be the Celtics' next opponents, in the conference and NBA finals, respectively. The four-time champion then asked Tatum how Boston would respond to those teams possibly picking on Al Horford in the pick-and-roll.
“First of all, we don't know who we're playing, so you're not going to get me with that,” Tatum said. “We're gonna take it one series at a time, we not looking past nobody. You know, this defense is a collective effort, we gotta be on the same page. We trust everybody out there, whoever's on the floor. We play team defense, and then we always talk about individual defense and your pride. We trust everybody, even Al, especially Al, to take that pride in knowing that you got four guys behind you helping.”
The 37-year-old Horford does not have the same speed and agility he once did, which may make it tough for him to keep up with some of the league's biggest stars in Boston's upcoming matchups. Will the Celtics be able to compensate for it, or was Green onto something?
The Celtics won't be able to win it all without Kristaps Porzingis
Horford had a quality game on Wednesday, posting 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists across 35 minutes to help Boston close out the series. The five-time All-Star has been getting significant run since starting center Kristaps Porzingis went down with a calf strain in Game 4 against the Miami Heat in the first round.
However, Boston will have a hard time surviving these next two rounds without a healthy Porzingis in the lineup. The Latvian international averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, two assists, and 1.9 blocks across 29.6 minutes per game in the regular season. The 28-year-old also sported a stingy 108.6 defensive rating. Horford served as his backup.
At this point in his career, the Celtics cannot count on Horford to produce anywhere near Porzingis' level consistently. It's no fault of his own, as he's in the twilight of his NBA tenure, while Porzingis in his prime.
Luckily for Boston, Porzingis dropped an encouraging update on his Instagram, via Cameron Tabatatable of The Celtics Wire.
While Tatum was kind to give a diplomatic answer, Green was right to question Horford's capability of thriving in Porzingis' absence. Superstars like Jalen Brunson, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving will all be difficult for the elder statesman to keep up with.
Sometimes, playoff runs come down to health. For Tatum to finally win his first ring, he'll need a healthy Porzingis beside him from here on out.
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