A vast majority of the new stars have not experienced the simplicity of NBA All-Star weekend. There used to be a draft that pitted LeBron James against another captain while a lot of grand things happened around them like introductions. Jayson Tatum is one of these individuals despite having already made five appearances in the game. The Boston Celtics superstar unveiled what he thought of reverting back to the format after the Eastern Conference All-Stars had won with the help of his co-star Jaylen Brown, via Jerry Donatien of ClutchPoints.
“I love it. The short introductions, not being on the stage. I’m definitely a fan of that,” Jayson Tatum said about the way the program was organized.
The Celtics star further stressed how big going back to the Eastern Conference and Western Conference rivalry meant for him as a fan growing up.
“This was my first All-Star game experiencing East vs. West. It’s what I grew up watching so I enjoyed that. I like it better this year honestly. It was a regular game, halftime was a little shorter, and introductions were a lot shorter,” he concluded.
Tatum ended the night with 20 points along with three rebounds and assists. His Celtics running mate Jaylen Brown also popped off by scoring 36 points on just 22 minutes of action. Not to mention, Brown also dropped three dimes and grabbed eight boards the night after he just competed in the Slam Dunk Contest. All of this led them to decimate the LeBron James-led Western Conference All-Stars.
The two Celtics now have a long rest before they go back into action against the Chicago Bulls.
The Celtics season so far
Before the NBA All-Star break, Joe Mazzulla just got his 100th win as a head coach. 43 of which had just come this season. This is a testament to how much the Celtics are ahead of other teams in any conference. They have won eight out of their last 10 games. No other team comes close to them as the Cleveland Cavaliers who are second are six games back with only 36 wins.
Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White's production are on pace to give the Celtics 60 wins. More importantly, they are also on par with getting the 18th banner for the squad and it's the one that counts, not an In-Season Tournament prize.