On Monday night, it looked like the Boston Celtics, despite being shorthanded yet again (they were without Derrick White and Jrue Holiday), were going to cruise to an easy victory over the injury-riddled Atlanta Hawks. Jayson Tatum and company were rolling in the first half, even taking a 30-point lead at one point before succumbing in the end and suffering a painful 120-118 defeat.
However, the Celtics took their feet off the gas pedal and the Hawks came zooming in, storming back with an incredible second-half effort. With the Hawks down by just three with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, it sure seemed as though Tatum's frustrations were reaching a boiling point when he was whistled for a reach-in foul on a steal attempt on Dejounte Murray.
Jayson Tatum isn't the only high-profile basketball player to complain about the officiating in recent days, and thus, the Celtics star became the subject of a savage dig from Hawks play-by-play commentator Bob Rathburn.
âBoy, Jayson Tatum does a lot of complaining. Who does he think he is? Caitlin Clark?â Rathburn said, prompting laughter from commentary partner Dominique Wilkins, via ClutchPoints Twitter (X).
"Boy, Jayson Tatum does a lot of complaining. Who does he think he is? Caitlin Clark?"
Hawks announcer Bob Rathbun after the Celtics star committed a foul đpic.twitter.com/upOeYJDcli
â ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 26, 2024
As one would recall, Caitlin Clark went viral when she got hilariously told by her father to stop complaining during Iowa's 91-65 victory over Holy Cross in the first round of the NCAA women's tournament. Clark had been mouthing off at the officials and her dad yelled at her to stop doing so.
When you're a true competitor, like Clark and Jayson Tatum are, it's hard not to get infuriated with how the game is officiated. Thus, any person with experience playing sports at any level should be able to relate both to her and the Celtics star.
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics unravel against the Hawks
At this point of the season, teams are injury-riddled, one way or another. The Hawks faced the Celtics on Monday without Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, two of the team's best players, so it's not like Boston could use the shorthanded excuse for their perplexing choke job.
In the second half, the Celtics did not play like the best team in the association; their energy was lacking, particularly on defense; they allowed the Hawks to shoot 57.5 percent from the field, including a blistering 11-19 from beyond the arc, and they couldn't retaliate. Their shooters went ice cold in that fateful second half, missing 14 of 15 three-point attempts, and that is simply a mathematical disparity that no basketball team will be able to overcome.
In today's high-scoring, fast-paced NBA, there is no such thing as a safe lead. All Jayson Tatum and the Celtics have to do now is to not allow this loss to get to their heads, especially as they head into the final 10 games of the regular season.
Caitlin Clark â a true icon
It's a testament to how big of a star Caitlin Clark is that she has become a routine part of basketball conversations. That's how good of a player the Iowa star is; after all, she is the all-time leader in points in NCAA Division I history, including the men's game, and she appears to be changing the game in a similar manner to how Stephen Curry did when he broke out as a legitimate superstar in the early 2010s.
Sure, she can be a bit of a complainer, but that's just part of wanting to win at all costs. At the very least, Clark is inching closer to her dream of winning the national championship and ending her illustrious collegiate stint on a high, with Iowa booking a spot in the Sweet 16 after defeating West Virginia, 64-54.
Follow Us
Subscribe