This past June, in the days after the Celtics lost in the Finals to Golden State, Jason Tatum went dark. Friends could not reach him. Most of the family too. His longtime coach, Drew Hanlin, said he has never gone more than at least a week without a text from Tatum. This was longer. When Tatum finally reappeared, he was shocked at how often he was congratulated on a successful season. What do you congratulate me on Tatum wondered. We lost.
Nearly a year later, Tatum faced the prospect of an even darker summer. Through three-quarters of Game 6 of the Celtics’ semifinal series against the 76ers, Tatum has been terrible. He had six assists, caught a few steals and contributed to a stingy Boston defense. But he could not repay. It was 1 of 13 entering the fourth quarter. It was 0 out of 6 out of three. While Tatum struggled, Philadelphia erased a seven-point halftime deficit and moved into a two-point lead.
Losing in the finals was tough.
lose in this series l this team in this road?
For Tatum, that might have been worse.
It doesn’t. Boston beat Philadelphia 95-86 on Thursday, forcing a Game 7. In the closing minutes, Tatum led the way. He started his three-pointer with 4:14. Three more followed 30 seconds later. The third triple gave the Celtics an eight-point lead with just under two minutes to go and pushed their fourth down to 11 with 37 seconds to play. After scoring three points in the first three quarters, Tatum made 16 in the fourth quarter.
Jason Tatum. 3 Triple clutch.
Celtics up to 8 with less than 2:00 to go.
📺: Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/vVLWj4nEOZ
– The NBA May 12, 2023
When the final buzzer sounded, Horford wrapped an arm around Tatum on center field.
“I told him he was that guy,” Horford said.
Within six years, Tatum has achieved a lot of success. He has been a conference finalist three times. He was in the NBA Finals. He has been an All-Star since his third season and on Wednesday was named to the All-NBA first team for the second year in a row. But this one was special. Rarely is Tatum’s shot so bad. For three quarters, nothing was working. Three pointers. pull ups. the fall. Everything turned.
“Being transparent was frustrating,” Tatum said.
At gatherings, colleagues offered encouragement. Horford. Marcus Smart. Malcolm Brogdon. Encourage him to focus on defense. when recoiling. In finding ways to influence the game. “I know it’s not just about the record,” said Tatum. I kept telling myself [that] I have the time to make a difference.” Jaylen Brown was particularly candid. It continues to advanceBrown said. i believe in you. They can’t guard you. Stop worrying. In the fourth quarter, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzola pulled Tatum aside and simply said, “I love you.”
“It will always go back to normal,” said Brogdon. “He’s resilient. He’s a star.”
While pushing Tatum, the Celtics were carrying him. Smart scored 22 points. Brown added 17. Brogdon scored 16 off the bench. Defense limits 36.1% from shooting and only 23.5% from three. Prior to the game, Mazzola shuffled the starting lineup, reintroducing Robert Williams. The large line-up was effective. Williams scored 10 points. He pulled down nine rebounds. He blocked two shots. Boston hit Philadelphia on the glass (50-38) and with Williams patrolling the middle the Sixers held on to 32 points in the paint.
“His presence stabbing shots, changing shots, and that makes a difference,” said Tatum.
Brown said, “The defense was the story for us.”
Keep the Celtics close. Then Tatum blew it off. Sixers coach Doc Rivers said the first three quarters “got him going.” The last one sent what was left of a raucous Wells Fargo Center crowd swarming towards the exits. Once it starts, it’s hard to get it off the ground, Rivers said.
Game 7 is on Sunday in Boston, where everyone will be feeling the pressure. Philadelphia had a chance to advance to its first Conference Finals in the Joel Embiid era and now has to win another game in hostile territory. The Celtics temporarily saved their season, but will need to win another season to avoid a disappointing finish. Both Tatum and Brown called for energy inside the TD Garden on Sunday, as Tatum hopes to pick up where he left off in Philadelphia.
“I don’t want to do that shit again.” Tatum said. “I hope it’s a one-off. But if that’s what it takes to win, I’ll go 0 for anything.”