Jayson Tatum’s triple-double helps energy Celtics previous Warmth

In his 2024 postseason debut, Jayson Tatum didn’t have his finest capturing efficiency, hitting simply 1 from 8 from downtown.

However, he in any other case performed a fairly excellent basketball sport.

Practically each time Tatum was double-teamed by a swarming Miami protection, he made the appropriate learn — whether or not that meant dishing it out to an open Sam Hauser for a three-pointer or discovering Kristaps Porzingis within the submit.

In flip, Tatum delivered his first profession playoff triple-double, ending the afternoon with 23 factors, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Consequently, the Celtics blew out the Warmth in dominant vogue, profitable the primary sport of the primary spherical, 114-94, after main by double-digits for many of the sport.

Joe Mazzulla beloved what he noticed from Tatum from the soar, whereas Derrick White praised Tatum for “doing a bit little bit of every part.”

“The mindset and strategy all through the sport was nice,” Mazzulla stated. “I believed he performed with nice endurance. I believed he picked and [chose] his spots very effectively. I believed he took what the protection gave him and located a steadiness of making for himself and for others.”

Tatum has maintained all 12 months that he’s not significantly involved along with his scoring and needs to prioritize studying the protection. On Sunday afternoon, he stated making the appropriate on-court choices got here simple.

“It was actual easy,” Tatum stated. “Simply making the appropriate play, and – we discuss it on a regular basis – not becoming bored with making the appropriate play. Discovering the mismatch, drawing two, and surrounding your self with shooters.”

Kristaps Porzingis, making his Celtic playoff debut, was a bit extra flowery of Tatum’s efficiency.

“That was a gorgeous sport from him,” Porzingis stated. “Getting these assists, particularly early on – he was not forcing something an excessive amount of, getting everyone concerned. I feel it’s an enormous credit score to him, this sport, how all of us performed as a crew as a result of he obtained everyone feeling good early on, and that was like an ideal sport from him.”

Tatum completed the sport with 23 factors on 7-18 (38.8%) capturing – practically 4 factors and 10% from the sphere worse than his season common. It wasn’t one in every of his quintessential offensive masterclasses we’ve seen from him up to now, like his 51-point outburst in opposition to the 76ers in Sport 7 of final 12 months’s convention semi-finals. But it surely was efficient in his personal proper.

The ball motion Tatum spearheaded obtained everybody else going, and 6 Celtics gamers completed the sport with double-digit factors. Seven of his ten assists resulted in three-pointers, and the Celtics matched their franchise playoff report with 22 three-pointers on the night time.

“After all, for positive, he’ll say that he can play higher, and he can,” Porzingis stated. “However general, I feel that was a gorgeous efficiency.”

It wasn’t only one teammate Tatum was organising both. Two of his assists had been to Porzingis (18 factors), two to Derrick White (20 factors), two to Al Horford (10 factors), two to Payton Pritchard (8 factors), one to Jaylen Brown (17 factors), one to Sam Hauser (12 factors), and one to Jrue Vacation (6 factors).

Together with this 12 months, Jayson Tatum has now confronted the Warmth in 4 of the final 5 postseasons — the Erik Spoelstra-led defensive scheme is one he’s conversant in. The Warmth will come out with changes subsequent sport, and the Celtics gained’t shoot practically 45% from three each night time.

However in Sport 1, the Warmth’s defensive scheme was one he was capable of exploit.

“They’re not a crew that’s essentially going to allow you to play one-on-one all night time,” Tatum stated. “They do a extremely good job of man, and assist, and exhibiting a crowd. They only sort of power you to make the appropriate play.”