Boston Celtics' main man Jayson Tatum beat himself up after scoring zero points in the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to the Miami Heat to go down a 3-1 hole.
The fast-rising 22-year-old star said it’s inexcusable that he wasn’t aggressive enough. That’s why in tonight’s Game 5, he made sure he won’t make the same mistake again.
Even though he had another pedestrian first half with 10 points, he stayed the course and remained in attack mode in the second half. He scored 17 points in the third quarter alone to finish with a game-high 31 points to lead the Celtics to the all-or-nothing win. He also added 10 rebounds and six assists in another stellar showing in what has been a breakout campaign.
After the game, he told reporters what his mindset is: Leave it all on the floor.
“Leave it all on the floor.”@jaytatum0 discusses his mindset after the Game 5 win.
NBA Playoffs Press Conferences Presented by #ATT pic.twitter.com/8x3t4DbfKG
— NBA (@NBA) September 26, 2020
True enough, Jayson Tatum laid it all out throughout the game, getting to the line 14 times, making all but two of his free throws. He led the blistering charge for the Celtics in the third salvo as they made a pivotal 13-0 run to finally wrest the lead from the Heat. The South Beach quintet tried to mount a comeback but the Celtics never relinquished the advantage to resuscitate their flatlining title hopes.
“It's not going to be perfect. You just want to give yourself a chance,” said Tatum.
The former Duke standout is stacking up across-the-board numbers in the series, averaging 27.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
The Celtics will try to tie the series on Sunday and force a do-or-die Game 7.
Follow Us
Subscribe