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If the Boston Celtics want to beat the Miami Heat in their crucial Game 7 showdown on Sunday, the solution is simple: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can't play the same way they did in Game 6.
That is the message Stephen A. Smith sent to the Celtics after they wasted the opportunity to close out Miami and secure a ticket to the NBA Finals. Instead, they find themselves trying to win the Eastern Conference Championship in hostile territory.
During a recent episode of SportsCenter, Smith criticized Tatum and Brown's performance in Game 6, especially in the second half when they were a non-factor for Boston as Miami held on for the 111-103 victory.
Article Continues Below“How about not replicating your effort in game six. How about Jaylen Brown scoring more than two points in the entire second half. How about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown not combining for a grand total of one shot in the first eleven minutes of the fourth quarter, that would help, that would help immensely. These are the two stars of the Boston Celtics, and now that Jimmy Butler has reminded you that there is a star on the Miami Heat coming for you, it's incumbent on the stars to step up and answer the call,” Smith explained.
“We know about everything else they got to do defensively … do your job as supplementary parts. But Game 7s come down to the stars, and the stars for the Boston Celtics have got to show up, otherwise, we’re going to remember them not so fondly for years to come from this one.”
Stephen A. Smith certainly makes a valid point, though. The Celtics need Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to step up big time after combining for just 14 points on 3-of-7 shooting in the second half of Game 6.
They cannot perform the same way with their playoff lives and NBA title dreams on the line. If they do, it's likely that the Heat are coming out on top.
