In an unfortunate gut-check game, Jayson Tatum knew what the circumstances required — and he delivered
Tatum scored 16 of his 37 points in the first quarter, including nine of the Celtics’ last 11 points over the decisive final 2 minutes, 51 seconds.
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Let’s leave the conversation concerning whether a defending champion should require a gut-check game in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the more insincere and histrionic outposts of the Boston sports universe.
The truth is that the Celtics did face such a circumstance Sunday night in Game 4 of their first-round matchup with the feisty seventh-seeded Orlando Magic.
The result did not arrive without tension, but it sure was reaffirming.
Guts? Check.
After Friday’s ugly loss, the Celtics reminded us what they are made of, to a man, in a 107-98 victory, giving them a 3-1 lead in a series that heads back to the Garden Tuesday night.
The Celtics seized control by scoring 16 of the final 23 points after Orlando had tied the game at 91 with 4 minutes, 12 seconds remaining.
Their best player was at the forefront of that seizing. Jayson Tatum was at his best when the moment demanded him to be.
Tatum scored 16 of his 37 points in the first quarter, including nine of the Celtics’ last 11 points over the decisive final 2 minutes, 51 seconds. His patient 10-foot turnaround jumper built the Celtics’ lead to 98-92 at the beginning of that span, and he made all seven of his free throw attempts down the stretch to hold the Magic at bay.
Tatum shot just 10 of 25 from the field against the tenacious Magic defense, but in a sense that makes his performance more impressive, because he reiterated the maturity and completeness of his game by finding other essential ways to contribute.
He buried all 14 of his free-throw attempts and knocked down all 26 during the two games in Orlando. He contributed game-highs of 14 rebounds and 3 steals. He turned the ball over just twice after committing a careless seven in Game 3.
Beyond the statistics, he refused to be rattled by the Magic’s transparent gamesmanship, which included a late shove from guard/bricklayer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (whose cheap shot in Game 1 left Tatum with a painful bone bruise in his wrist) and a couple of stare downs with Magic coach Jamahl Mosely.
It wasn’t just a stellar performance, and it wasn’t just clutch. It was poised. Tatum played and carried himself like the superstar and champion that he is, and here’s hoping that this is one more sign that all stupid national narratives about him are about to be vaporized for good.
It’s wild that Tatum, who just turned 27 in March, has essentially played full season-and-half of playoff games. Sunday’s was the 116th of his career and the 70th win, a remarkable level of experience and success for a player early in his peak years.
One of the many things he’s learned in the course of his various playoff journeys is that he doesn’t have to do it alone. Heck, Jaylen Brown, who is 17 months older than Tatum and entered the league a season earlier, has played in 128 playoff games (77 wins), and has Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals MVP awards to his credit.
Brown, too, met the moment Sunday night, scoring 21 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and making up for uneven shooting (6 for 16, 0 for 3 from 3) by making seven of eight free-throw attempts. Brown was especially forceful in the third quarter while defending Magic star Paolo Banchero, continuing his admirable quest — especially admirable now, given his balky knee — to take on any difficult defensive assignment.
Who else? Just about every regular, in some way. Derrick White delivered 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists and contributed a stunning block to halt a Magic fast break in the first half. Kristaps Porzingis scored 19, including an old-school 3-point play to put the Celtics up 94-91. Al Horford, annoyed at the Magic like a dad who has about had it with these unruly teenagers, swatted five shots, including a crucial one on Banchero in the fourth quarter. Sam Hauser hit two early 3-pointers. Payton Pritchard did not score (the lengthy Magic are a tough matchup for him) but collected a huge offensive rebound late.
Tatum played like the superstar that he is. But it was a total team win, just as so many have been the past two seasons for these Celtics.
You’d better believe it was a big one, too, even if this is just the first round. The Magic, fresh off a 95-93 victory in Game 3 that was such a hideous throwback to the rock-fighting ’90s NBA that you have expected to see Jeff Van Gundy dangling from a brawling player’s leg, were aiming to even the series at 2-2.
The Magic are distinctly structured to be a nuisance to the Celtics, and they’ve spent this series intent on confirming that, over and over.
And as an added degree of difficulty, the Celtics have had to play the last two games without Jrue Holiday, who had been a stabilizing force — emphasis on force — in the series’ first two games.
If the Celtics are wise, they’ll send the Magic away for the summer in Game 5, and get Holiday, Brown, and Tatum some necessary time to rest and heal. This has been tougher than a first-round series should be, in multiple ways.
If there’s a blessing, it’s that we’ve been reminded that Tatum and friends know how to summon their best when the tension threatens to suffocate.
Call Sunday’s win a gut check, answered resoundingly. Better still, call it the toughness champions. That is, after all, what, and who, they are.
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