BOSTON — Jayson Tatum couldn’t believe what he had just done. The Boston Celtics had clawed back to take the lead and, with two minutes left in an improbable overtime, he threw the ball away.
Jaylen Brown had hit a spectacular shot to force overtime and the Celtics somehow still had a chance to win this game. Tatum couldn’t spoil it.
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He’s the crunchtime caretaker, the Celtics’ captain in the clutch. Just about every play in the biggest moments flows through Tatum one way or another, and the team trusts him to live up to that responsibility. Their title hopes depend on it.
It’s Brown’s job to give them sparks in the biggest moments. Tatum is responsible for keeping the team in a position to capitalize.
“JB gave us a second chance by hitting that shot,” Tatum said. “And we just talked about it in the huddle, like, ‘We got a second chance. Let’s take advantage of it. Let’s not mess around and just figure out a way to win this game.’”
But in that moment, it felt like he was messing things up. Easy execution on a simple screen, this is the stuff they’ve done all year.
The Indiana Pacers’ constant motion throughout the night had taken Boston out of its rhythm. The Celtics play a crunchtime style organically, with targeted pick-and-rolls to get the defender they want in the mix a core competency of the offense.
So throwing away a pick-and-pop action like that was beneath Tatum’s standard.
“I’m so glad we won the game because I would have been sick,” Tatum said after beating the Pacers 133-128 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. “That play was some miscommunication. We just talked about afterwards and thought that I was going to come off the screen. I thought that they would corral him and double him. I thought he was going to slip. He was still (able to) jump and pass the ball, so that was on me. But we just talked about it for a quick second, and there was still a lot of time left to try to figure out how to win the game.”
In the past, Tatum would try to make up for these moments by dribbling out in space and running down the clock, looking to pull off a step-back shot or drive through traffic. Tatum’s growth isn’t just in being more physical, but in making things easier on himself.
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He was 1-for-7 from deep at this point. He could force that big shot to come, but he doesn’t do that much anymore.
It was time to put him in the post and force his way to the hoop. So he inbounded the ball, took Andrew Nembhard to the post, pulled the chair to send him stumbling, and got the 3-point play.
Then on the next possession, the big shot came to him naturally. Just like they did in the first two rounds, they targeted the opposing star guard to create a 2-for-1 advantage.
Tatum was used as the screener this time, forcing Tyrese Haliburton to chase Derrick White from behind as the Celtics’ point guard got downhill with ease. Then it was easy getting Tatum the open 3 he had been waiting for.
Tatum’s 10 points in overtime were the most by any player in the postseason since 2021, per Tom Haberstroh. He finished with a postseason-best 36 points with 12 rebounds and three steals. He shot 2-for-8 from deep in the end, but all that mattered was the final one.
“Big-time players make big-time plays,” Tatum said. “Simple as that.”
Being a big-time player is more than just hitting extravagant shots. It’s controlling the shape of the floor, something Tatum is doing at the highest level of his career now.
That is what’s enabling him to keep leading the Celtics in the biggest moments deep into the postseason, even as his 3-point shot continues to elude him.
“I think just mentally understanding that I’ve had spurts throughout big games where I didn’t hit shots or shoot the ball well, but it’s as simple as just believing that the next one is going in,” Tatum said. “I always feel like I’m one make away from being hot or being in a great rhythm. So I’m taking the right shots, being in the flow of the game and doing all the other necessary things to impact the game.”
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But for Tatum to put them ahead, they had to stop the Pacers offense. Enter Jrue Holiday, the one person on the Celtics with a ring. The player who knows what it’s like to put your foot down and take control to the point that you’re the champion.
It all culminated with a minute left in overtime when he locked up Haliburton to the point that the Pacers guard went crashing into the broadcast table.
“Jrue came out and balled, man. He’s the reason why we won his game,” Brown said. “I think he just was poised, he took advantage of his matchups. He just was so, so elite in that. It’s a lot. And he’s guarding Haliburton, picking him up, chasing him around. That was special from Jrue Holiday.”
Holiday had a season-high in points and has steadily emerged as an offensive weapon as the playoffs have gone on. But the Celtics go to him for his defensive calm in the big moments and he delivered.
“Close games, I don’t think have ever bothered us,” Holiday said. “I think that we’ve always stayed poised and no matter if it’s a win or a loss, we knew that, we’d always give ourselves a chance. So again today, down three with some seconds left and making a big shot and making big plays after that, we knew we had it in us.”
Between Holiday’s defensive pressure and Tatum’s offensive force, the Celtics were able to capitalize on the second chance Brown gifted them. Tatum is still waiting for his whole game to come together, but he and Holiday were vital in taking away Indiana’s comfort and flow.
Tatum would harp on that jumper not falling in the past. He’d often sulk and lose focus in transition if an opportunity didn’t go his way. But persisting through the letdowns was the key to getting through in the end.
“I thought he just plays with a level of poise and a level of comfort knowing the next one has a chance to go,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought our guys had that kind of mindset and credit to him for just changing the frequency.”
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Tatum’s shooting could come around at some point, but that refrain was familiar last series as well. The growth for Tatum is winning ugly, anyway that he can.
“I’m not trying to prove anything individually,” Tatum said. “I know the ultimate goal is to try to win a championship, but one step at a time.”
(Photo: David Butler II / USA Today)
