It was a disappointing end to the 2021-22 season for Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. They reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, and even had a 2-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors. But they proceeded to lose three straight games and ultimately the series with Tatum coming up short in the closing minutes of Game 5. Now, Tatum believes he's better prepared for the moment as he and the Celtics try to get back to the Finals as per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
“I was just exhausted,” Jayson Tatum said. “Mentally, physically, All the stress and pressure I was putting on myself.”
Throughout the playoffs last season, Tatum averaged 25.6 points per game, 6.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range. In the Finals against the Warriors, he was putting up 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists. His shooting from the field dropped significantly though to 36.7 percent although he did shoot 45.5 percent from three-point range. He only scored 12 points in Game 1 and 13 points in the close-out Game 6. Tatum told Shelburne that he felt like the Celtics had the talent to match up with the Warriors, just not the experience.
“Talent-wise, we were right there with them,” Tatum said. “But you could tell that they had been there before. You could tell they didn't panic. They were just mentally tougher than we were and that's a hard pill to swallow.”
This season, Tatum has been on a mission having an MVP-caliber season. He is putting up a career-high 30.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range as he tries to help the Celtics return to the Finals.
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