Jayson Tatum delivered a signature performance to put pugnacious Magic on the ropes
"From when I got here to now, heās developed more of a killer instinct."
The Boston Celtics entered Sunday’s Game 4 rematch with a 2-1 series lead in their best-of-seven matchup against the Magic.
But through those three games, Orlando was seemingly setting the tone of the series — and potentially turning what was once thought of as a cakewalk into a prolonged slugfest.
The Celtics had the bumps and bruises to show for it.
Through the first three games in their matchup against the Celtics, Orlando was whistled for three flagrant fouls — which resulted in Jayson Tatum injuring his wrist, Kristaps Porzingis needing stitches to shore up a gash on his forehead, and Jaylen Brown dislocating one of his fingers.
The Celtics clearly hold the overwhelming edge over Orlando in terms of talent and veteran mettle.
But the Magic were dictating play on their terms against the defending champions — and the frustration was starting to settle in.
“There might be a fight break out or something because it’s starting to feel like it’s not even basketball and the refs are not controlling their environment,” Brown said after Friday’s Game 3 loss at Kia Center. “So it is what it is. If you want to fight it out, we can do that. We can fight to see who goes to the second round.”
Despite a few post-whistle shoves, the Celtics didn’t need to resort to fisticuffs to put Orlando in its place on Sunday.
Sure enough, the Celtics played to their strengths against Orlando — with their star talent leading the charge in crunch time to secure a 107-98 victory in Game 4.
Tatum — who was once viewed as a question mark entering Game 3 due to his ailing wrist — has shown no ill effects since sitting out Boston’s Game 2 matchup last week.
After dropping 36 points in Friday’s loss to Orlando, Tatum followed that up with 37 points and 14 rebounds on Sunday.
According to Celtics stats expert Dick Lipe, Tatum is the first player in NBA playoff history to post at least 35 points, 12 free throws, and a 1.000 free-throw percentage in consecutive games.
“I’ve been here (in the playoffs) a bunch of times and I understand the environment,” Tatum said postgame. “Game 4, go up two games or be tied. Coming out with the mindset from the start of the game that we’re locked in and it’s not time to be friendly out here, not time for nothing besides knowing what it takes to win, doing whatever it takes. That’s the fun part of it.”
Tatum avoiding any dip in his production comes at a critical time, especially with Jrue Holiday still sidelined with a hamstring strain.
The Celtics’ star forward was at his best in the fourth quarter on Sunday, scoring 16 of his 37 points in the fourth. At one point during that final stretch of play, Tatum appeared to tweak his wrist again — but followed that play up by sinking a pair of free throws and then draining a 3-pointer.
Since returning in this series after his wrist injury, Tatum has adopted a new celebration — raising his hands over his head and grasping his wrist with every made shot from beyond the arc.
Tatum — who said that his new celebration was cooked up by rookie Baylor Scheierman — said that his wrist injury is no longer an issue after suffering a bone bruise in Game 1.
“It’s whatever. I know what I’m dealing with,” Tatum said. “My team knows how serious it is, but it’s that time of year. We’re all sacrificing our bodies and going through things. It’s the playoffs. I doubt anybody feels 100 percent, but you step on that floor, do what you can, give it your all. It’s all about trying to figure out how to win.”
Even if Tatum’s play has not waned since his wrist injury, he doled out some hard shoves against Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — the player who fouled him and created that wrist issue — during Sunday’s win.
For Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, Tatum’s response on the stat sheet and his willingness to engage with Orlando has been a welcome sight.
“Poise. And having an understanding of your environment,” Mazzulla said when asked what stood out about Tatum’s game. “Obviously some shotmaking there, but at same time, physical drives, getting to the free throw line.
“At the end of the day, both teams are playing physical. You have to be able to execute at both ends of the floor. I thought he did a great job of that.”
The Celtics still hold court as the defending NBA champions — and are in a prime position now to punch their ticket to the second round on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
But for all of the accolades that both Tatum and his teammates have already achieved, Kristaps Porzingis believes that Boston’s best player is already reaching another gear in the midst of this playoff run.
“I think it was a 3 he hit toward the end of the game, and I thought in my head, like, ‘This guy is special,’” Porzingis said. “From when I got here to now, he’s developed more of a killer instinct and he’s been getting us big buckets in this series and last year’s playoffs. Third game — thanks to him — we were right there, and today, again, he was phenomenal.”
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