Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics were unable to close out their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, losing a nailbiter in front of the home crowd at TD Garden and sending the series back to Georgia for Game 6.
Tatum was not happy with the late-game technical foul he was assessed for his ill-timed rejection on Trae Young with 1:39 remaining in the fourth.
“You all see it all the time in the regular season after the whistle, guys shoot after the [whistle], guys block the shot after the whistle all the time,” the All-Star explained, according to NESN. “I wasn't mad or anything. I just was doing something that I would normally do in the regular season that kind of happens all the time. I guess he didn’t see it that way.”
Tatum lightly swatted a Trae Young shot after the whistle, earning him the technical which he believes wouldn't have been called in the regular season. Still, it was a pivotal moment in the game and completed a stunning collapse for the Celtics.
Boston was outscored 37-25 in the fourth en route to the disappointing 119-117 Game 5 loss.
“Tatum wasn’t the primary defender on Young on the play as Al Horford fouled Young while he was in the act of shooting during a baseline drive. Once he felt contact, Young flipped up a shot toward the hoop that was well short and Tatum harmlessly sent the ball out of bounds,” wrote NESN's Greg Dudek on Wednesday morning.
“But the referee handed out a technical to Tatum, giving Young three free throws, which he cashed in to put the Hawks in front by a single point and give them their first lead since early in the second quarter.”
The dagger was then laid down by Young, who drained a 30-foot 3-pointer with just 2.1 seconds left to secure the two-point win for Atlanta.
It was a brutal collapse for Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, but they'll have a chance to put the game behind them and end the series on the road in Game 6 on Thursday night.
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