As Jayson Tatum roars to life
Former Duke star Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics got a tough game from Indiana to open the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday night and while Tatum wasn’t necessarily razor sharp for the entire game, he was lethal in overtime, scoring 11 of Boston’s 16 points.
Not that he was awful during the rest of the game: Tatum had 25 points in regulation, finishing with 36. He also had 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
After the game, Jaylen Brown said that “JT finally woke up and made some baskets.” That comment got some attention, but it wasn’t an ugly thing to say or anything like that. It’s what Brown and the Celtics expect from Tatum.
The next game is in Boston before two in Indiana, and Boston is still without big man Kristaps Porzingis. Clearly the Celtics had their hands full in Game 1; this won’t be an easy series. If the Celtics can steal one in Indianapolis though that would certainly help.
