Jayson Tatum was this close to etching his name in the history books. He had successfully helped the Boston Celtics make it back to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years. Facing the Golden State Warriors, Tatum could've gone down as the guy who took down the Dubs' dynasty for good.

Instead, the Finals became a nightmare scenario for the Celtics star. Jayson Tatum visibly struggled during the entire Finals, as the pressure of the series seemed to get the best of that. That, coupled with some insane defense from Andrew Wiggins, eventually led to their loss in the Finals. It's a defeat that still haunts Tatum nearly a month after it all went down. (via Gary Washburn)

“It takes a long time,” Jayson Tatum said. “I still think about it every day. Probably until the season starts. Probably until we get back to the championship, I guess.”

The Celtics did put up a great fight against the Warriors in that series. Hell, they were up 2-1 in the series! However, toward the end of the Finals, it seemed like Golden State found another gear. Unfortunately, Tatum and the Cs failed to find that extra gear themselves.

Despite the loss, though, Jayson Tatum isn't completely disheartened. In fact, he believes that now that they know what it takes to get there, they'll be well-equipped to do the same thing next season. All he needs is to do what he's always done before: work his butt off.

“You know how hard it is to get over there. You know how much harder it is to get over that hump, so I’ve got to be better coming into next year, obviously, as we try to get back.”

Expect Jayson Tatum and the Celtics to be right back in the championship mix in 2023.