Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are still shell-shocked over their 19-point defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat in Game 7.
It was a whirlwind series that began with the Heat taking a commanding 3-0 lead, but the Celtics battled back valiantly, featuring pivotal moments such as Derrick White's buzzer-beating game-winner in Game 6. But just when a reverse sweep was on the horizon, Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin stepped up to the plate to finally silence the Celtics and send them home.
In the postgame press conference, a limping Jayson Tatum walked up to the podium to answer questions from the media. One of the reporters asked where specifically things went wrong this year that made the Celtics miss such a prime opportunity.
“That's a great question,” Tatum said, per ASAP Sports. “We didn't play well enough to win this series for a majority of it. Bad third quarter of the first game. Bad fourth quarter of the second game. They beat us the third game. We didn't play well at all. Won three in a row. Then tonight was just tough. So, we just didn't play well enough to win this series.”
Tatum more or less went through the entire story of series, its ups and downs, and how the chemistry and overall aura was in a constant state of flux. From the poor third quarter of Game 1 that made coach Joe Mazzula toss his clipboard in frustration, to a Jimmy Butler takeover that began after Grant Williams taunted him, followed by a total beatdown in Game 3 that made Butler taunt the entire team. Then the Celtics battled back and won three straight games, as Tatum narrated, but the C's were ultimately unable to finish the job in Game 7.
Like the Celtics, Tatum definitely has a lot to think about as he enters the offseason. This ends his sixth playoff appearance in his career. What will they have to do in order to win an NBA championship?
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