It's tough to win the respect of a Boston crowd, but Celtics star Jayson Tatum did so with ease during a blowout Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The four-time All-Star put on a historic performance that got the TD Garden rocking and sent the Sixers packing.

Tatum put up an insane 51 points, the most in any Game 7 in NBA history, while going 17-for-28 from the field. He also had 13 rebounds, five assists, and zero turnovers during the 112-88 win.

Celtics fans weren't the only ones enjoying every second of his big game. Tatum himself told the media he loved being a part of it and having the opportunity to play for Boston:

“I love being here. I love getting to put on this uniform,” Tatum said, per Celtics in-house writer Taylor Snow. “I love being able to play big games, to put on good performances in front of [these fans]…I can’t express enough that I just love being here and love playing in front of this crowd.”

Prior to Game 7, the C's had their struggles at home this postseason. They had a 3-3 record in Beantown and even got booed off the court during Game 5. Yet, there were no jeers from the crowd on Sunday afternoon, as Tatum and the Celtics dominated the second half and put the game away early.

“I got to give a lot of credit to the crowd,” Tatum said, per Celtics reporter Keith Smith. “We needed that. They embrace me as one of their own.”

The Celtics will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to Tatum's epic game. There they'll take on the Miami Heat for the third time in the last three seasons. Since Miami is an eighth seed, the C's will have home-court advantage once again.

Yet, in a lot of ways, the Heat aren't a true eighth seed. They're led by six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, who had a 50-point game of his own against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. And although they might be banged up, they have the coaching and experience to compete with anyone.

The Celtics will play in front of their home crowd again for Game 1 versus the Heat on Wednesday night.