Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers has been on the wrong end of plenty of dominant Game 7 performances, but Jayson Tatum's explosion on Sunday night ranks right at the top, according to the man himself.
Tatum was simply unstoppable in the series-deciding matchup, putting up a mammoth 51 points on 17-28 shooting while also grabbing 13 boards and dishing out five assists en route to a 112-88 victory. James Harden faltered – again – and so too did Joel Embiid, but Tatum was the clear difference-maker throughout the course of the game.
In the wake of the defeat, Tatum's performance was ranked by Rivers as one of the absolute best, saying that the only game which compares was LeBron James' Game 6 effort against his Boston Celtics in 2012.
The Celtics entered that matchup against James' Miami Heat up 3-2 having won three games in a row, and had a chance to close out the Eastern Conference Finals matchup on their home floor. But James had other ideas. He hit an incredible 19 of his 26 shots, ending the game with 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lead the Heat to victory.
11 years on, clearly Doc Rivers hasn't forgotten that night, and it doesn't appear likely that he'll forget this one in a hurry either. His Game 7 record of 6-10 will be the subject of plenty of discussion over the coming days, and rightly or wrongly, will no doubt have plenty of aggrieved Sixers fans politely suggesting their team finds a new coach.
Incidentally, after LeBron James' historic performance in 2012, the Heat went on to win Game 7 and with it the series, before beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to win the championship. The Celtics will be hoping that Jayson Tatum's performance leads to the same result.
Follow Us
Subscribe