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The Boston Celtics are still hanging around in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Miami Heat. After falling behind 3-0 in the series, the Celtics have responded with two wildly encouraging victories in Games 4 & 5 to send the series back to Miami for Game 6. And it is very clear that there is a ton of pressure on both sides ahead of this contest.
For Boston, the possibility of becoming the first team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in NBA playoff history is something that is certainly on the table here. On the other end of the spectrum, Miami is facing the potential of being the first team to cough up a 3-0 series lead. With the series sitting at 3-2, the Heat still have a very big advantage over the Celtics, but the Green Team have certainly made things interesting here.
The stakes in this game are massive for pretty much every player involved, but it's clear that Boston's star forward Jayson Tatum is staring down the barrel of a potential career-defining contest on Saturday night. Tatum has been leading the C's back into this series, and if he can deliver the goods in Game 6, the Celtics will be able to force a winner-takes-all Game 7 with a chance to advance to the NBA Finals.
Why Game 6 is such an important contest for Jayson Tatum
It may seem a bit odd to pick Tatum out of the crowd to be the guy with the most on the line in Game 6, but you can make an argument that he will determine whether or not Boston wins this crucial game. The C's were down and out after their demoralizing Game 3 loss, but Tatum has confidently resurrected this team from the dead in Games 4 & 5.
While it's nice Tatum has been great as of late, his play in Games 4 & 5 won't get remembered if the Celtics don't end up winning this series. Talking heads everywhere believe that Boston winning this series is inevitable, but it really isn't. The Heat have a great shot to put this series away on their home court in Game 6, and they will surely throw their best punch at the Celtics after struggling in Games 4 & 5.
Everyone wants to say that the pressure is on the Heat for the most part now, but honestly, it's probably a fairly even split. Miami still has the scales tilted in their favor for the time being. Yes, a win by Boston would be catastrophic for them, but the Heat could get Gabe Vincent back for this game, and will likely make some big adjustments to finally put this series away.
It's going to be up to Jayson Tatum to ensure that doesn't happen. Tatum has been Boston's motor on both offense and defense during their quick two-game turnaround, and in a do-or-die Game 6 in their opponent's territory, it's safe to say Tatum is going to have to continue to play at an extremely high level to keep the Celtics alive.
On offense, Tatum has transformed himself into the team's conductor. Tatum's statline through five games is really well-rounded (26.4 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 5.8 APG, 50.5 FG%) and he has been the guy picking apart Miami's defense. Whether it comes through double-teams off of screening actions or against the Heat's zone defense, Tatum has looked cool under pressure, consistently finding teammates for open shots or creating looks for himself.
Some may look at Tatum's 4.2 turnovers per game and be a bit pessimistic, but you are going to turn the ball over from time to time when you are on the receiving end of as much attention as Tatum is. Tatum has calmly been dissecting the Heat over the past two games, and his teammates are finally helping him out by hitting the shots Tatum is creating for them.
On defense, Tatum has played a similarly massive role in quieting the Heat's scorching hot offense. For the most part, Tatum is being used as the initial defender on Jimmy Butler, who hasn't been able to get much of anything going against him when he can't manufacture a switch. Tatum isn't the primary guy defending Butler, who has been hunting Derrick White like it's his job, but Tatum's physicality in preventing Butler from getting to his spots has been replicated by the rest of his teammates.
The Celtics defense looked awful early on this series, but they have been swarming in recent contests. Tatum has played a big role in that, as he's helping on Butler when he's switched off of him, throwing his body at Bam Adebayo, who has been flummoxed by the amount of attention he's receiving from Boston, and keeping an eye on his true man at the perimeter in the event the ball gets kicked out to him.
Playing this way over a two game stretch is great, and the Celtics have certainly been woken up after sleepwalking through the first three games of this series, but they are going to need to do it again for two more games. Boston looks laser focused, but we have seen them fall apart at the worst times all season long. Jayson Tatum is going to have to be the guy who ensures that doesn't happen in Game 6, which is why this could end up being the most important game of his career to date.
