The Boston Celtics have been to the NBA Finals with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown steering the ship, but never quite in the same way they did on Thursday night, with Kristaps Porzingis leading the way.

Tatum spoke at a news conference after the game sharing his true feelings with those in attendance. He revealed a surprising truth about the nerves he felt and what it was like compared to when he was younger.

The info came as Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics dropped a truth bomb on what doomed the Mavs in Game 1. Mavs superstar Luka Doncic got real on the incredible hoops prowess displayed by Kristaps Porzingis in stomping his Mavericks.

Tatum had a mouthful to say as he shared his thoughts on how things have been going compared to previous appearances on basketball's biggest stage.

Tatum speaks out on Game 1 win 

Tatum mentioned toward the end of his press conference that the Celtics' job is far from done. He noted that the Celtics won Game 1 of the Finals two years ago vs. the Golden State Warriors, cautioning against another letdown.

He called last year's Celtics playoffs performance a ‘wake up call' in that they didn't make the Finals. He also said he “felt like a kid” and that Thursday night in Boston was ‘surreal,' also noting that he was nervous in an ‘anxious' way.

Celtics' Game 2 could be a turning point

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Game 2 in Boston is scheduled for Sunday night and it won't be easy with Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Mavericks foaming at the mouth after Thursday's beat down.

Can Porzingis duplicate his Game 1 performance against what should be a fired up Mavericks front line led by Daniel Gafford? Will Irving go uncharacteristically quiet from the field again and score 12 points or fewer?

The Celtics will have their work cut out for them against a Doncic-led team that is capable of shooting its way past anyone when Doncic gets hot. Tatum knows what it takes to bring home another W. So do most of his teammates. Now is the time for the C's to move forward in search of title number 18, which would be an NBA record.