Jayson Tatum continues to align himself with some of the Boston Celtics' best players of all-time, tying a record set by the great Kevin McHale. The 22-year-old swingman recorded his fifth game with at least 30 points in the postseason — a first for the franchise since McHale achieved the feat in the 197-88 campaign.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points tonight, his 5th game with at least 30 this postseason. That is the most 30-point games in a postseason by a @celtics player since Kevin McHale had 5 such games in 1987-88. pic.twitter.com/1x9qUtYLQD
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) September 26, 2020
Jayson Tatum's virtuoso performance was a big reason why the C's managed to live to fight another day on Friday. They rode the momentum of a strong third quarter to come away with a 121-108 victory in Game 5 and cut the Heat's series lead to 3-2. The 6-foot-8 swingman again put his team on his back, tallying a game-best 31 markers on 8-of-22 shooting from the field and 3-of-10 from downtown. He also scattered 10 boards, six dimes, and one steal in 43 minutes.
Tying Kevin McHale's playoff record at such a young age, meanwhile, is just indicative of what a true superstar Tatum has become for Beantown. McHale was truly an unstoppable offensive force in his prime who could score at will with his variety of post moves and terrific footwork.
McHale notched 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in a total of 168 playoffs games for the Celtics, winning three Larry O'Brien trophies in the process. Tatum, of course, still has a lot of catching up to do reach the same level of success that the Hall of Fame forward has achieved. Still, it's crazy how Tatum managed to equal McHale's stunning record in just his third season in the league.
The Duke alum will get a chance to break that feat in Game 6 on Sunday after helping his team come out as victors in their do-or-die match.
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