With under a minute to play, Jayson Tatum got the ball at the top of the key and faced off against Kevin Durant. The Boston Celtics were clinging to a five-point lead as they tried to keep the Brooklyn Nets at bay, hoping to avoid a 0-3 hole in the series.
Tatum gave Durant a quick jab step upon receiving the ball but the Nets’ best perimeter defender still had his hand up to anticipate every move. Durant is taller than his listed 6-foot-10 height and has a 2.25-meter wingspan to complement his uncanny speed.
Then Tatum made his move. In one fluid motion, he jabbed again, made a swift crossover, rose to his shooting position, and pulled up over the outstretched hand of Durant. Swish. A playoff career-high 50 points for Tatum, and more importantly, a Celtics 125-119 victory.
The Nets still lead the series 2-1 and are still the undeniable favorites to win, but now the Celtics have a puncher’s chance all because of Tatum.
"I just had to be better. I had a tough shooting night the first game, I got poked in my eye in the second. I didn’t play that much,” Tatum said. "Trying to redeem myself, we’re trying to do whatever we can to win."
The Celtics’ do-it-all forward was a shell of himself in the first two games in Brooklyn. In the opener, he had 22 points on a forgettable 6-for-20 shooting performance. Although he had five assists, he was also responsible for four turnovers. Game 2 also resulted in a Nets win with Tatum sputtering only nine points, making just three field goals out of 12 attempts. He didn’t finish the game after getting poked in the eye but the Nets were already in full control by then.
Game 3 was a much different story purely because of Tatum’s offensive brilliance. He unpacked his full offensive arsenal of drives, jumpers, layups, step-backs, and 3-pointers. He went 16-of-30 on the floor, including five triples, and made 13-of-15 free throws. Aside from scoring, he also provided six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Talk about doing the heavy lifting.
Tatum became the third-youngest player in league history to score at least 50 points behind Ricky Barry’s 55-point game in 1967 and Michael Jordan’s 63-point game in 1986.
''He was just locked in mentally,'' teammate Marcus Smart said. ''We're going up against a juggernaut of a team. Like I said before, the world knows it and we know it. It's not going to be easy. You can't lay down, you can't take a step back. You have to be able to press forward and that's what we did tonight."
Smart was also instrumental in the Boston win as the team’s second-leading scorer. He had 23 points on an efficient 72.7 percent shooting clip along with six dimes. It also helped that the Celtics found a gem in Tristan Thompson. With center Robert Williams logging only six minutes with a left ankle injury, Thompson became a force in the paint and provided a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds.
It wasn’t all Tatum for the Celtics in Game 3 but everything rests on his shoulders moving forward. Not only does he have to be great every game; he has to be phenomenal from here on out.
The Nets’ Big Three were also superb and were a handful for the Celtics defense. James Harden had 41 points while Durant had 39. As for Kyrie Irving, he struggled to find his shot early but still managed to finish with 16 points and contributed key baskets down the stretch. If the Nets won, the story would be Brooklyn’s trio withstanding Tatum’s 50-piece. It’ll be like Ja Morant’s 47-point onslaught in a loss to the higher-seeded Utah Jazz. Nonetheless, like Morant who’s coming into his own in Memphis, Tatum is elevating his elite status. It’s no question that Tatum is a star. It’s now a wonder of what his ceiling actually is.
Tatum took apart the Nets defense surgically. With Durant stuck on Tatum for most of the contest as the primary defender, the Celtics often forced a switch to have another player defend their star. Whether it was Irving, Joe Harris, Bruce Brown, Nic Claxton, or any other Nets player, Tatum had no problem finding the bottom of the net. It was as if he was just checking names on a hitlist. But if the switch didn’t happen and he found himself one-on-one against Durant he still wasn’t afraid to attack. His fearlessness and aggressiveness were probably the most impressive part of his offensive performance.
''They made shots tonight, especially Tatum,'’ said Durant, who is a scoring savant himself. ''He hit some tough ones over us. I don't think he made anything easy.’'
Game 4 is set on Monday (PHT) and the Celtics will have at least 17,000 people on their side as the TD Garden will welcome more fans into the arena.
"I can’t wait. It’s been a while since we had full capacity. I miss those guys. I'm sure they miss us watching us play in person,” Tatum said. "It’s gonna be a fun one. We gotta get ready for the next one."
The series is still the Nets’ to lose. However, Tatum has proven that he can singlehandedly change the outcome of a game and the outlook of a series. It’s a long shot for the Celtics to beat the Nets three more times, but a shot is all Tatum needs.
