Watching Jayson Tatum Continue To Make NBA History Will Never Get Old

Michael Reaves. Getty Images.

One of the things I love most about the NBA Champion Boston Celtics is that when they fuck up, they immediately right their wrong. Make no mistake, their loss on Thursday night to the Bulls was one of their worst performances of the season. Couldn't make a shot to save their lives, couldn't get a stop or a rebound when it mattered, and ultimately they got what they deserved in a pretty annoying home loss.

For some teams, a performance like that would snowball, especially when playing the same team again a few days later, this time on the road. But that's the beauty of the champs. When it comes to immediately righting the ship and getting back on track, few teams do it better.

So far this season, the Celts are 6-0 following a loss. Not a single back to back loss stretch on their schedule through 28 games. Not bad! Last season, the Celts lost back to back games just 4 times in 100+ games. In fact, in the entire Joe Mazzulla Era, the Celts have only had four 3 game losing streaks in 231 games including the postseason. 

I think that's sort of what makes the no show performances tolerable because we know that it's pretty much a one off thing. I also think winning the title sure does help, but at this point we've seen enough to know that when it comes to resiliency, the Celts are the cream of the crop. 

Which is why a team performance like last night was the least surprising thing of all time. Celts play like shit and lose? A massive bounce-back win on the road (t-1st road wins in the NBA btw) is what comes next. It's who they are, it's in their DNA. Nobody makes up for their mistakes better than the NBA Champion Boston Celtics. Their average margin of victory after a loss this year is +20.3. They don't just punch back, they destroy you.

And here's why stuff like this is important. The Cavs aren't going to slow down. I'm not sure if you are someone who still thinks what they are doing is "fake" or "not sustainable", but not me. I respect them and what they're doing on a nightly basis, and at 25-4 and winners of 4 straight, it's very important the Celts stay attached so a response win like last night matters.

With that said, let's dive into what was a historic night

The Good

- Imagine starting this blog anywhere else. I just want to make it crystal clear to anyone reading this blog right what what we witnessed both in terms of Celtics history, and NBA history.

On the Celtics side, I want you to pick any player you want from 1946 to today. Of all the legends and all time greats, pick anyone you want. Russell, Tommy, Cousy, Cowens, Havlicek, Bird, McHale, Pierce, KG, go nuts.

Not one of them, not a single one, ever stepped onto an NBA court and did what Jayson Tatum accomplished last night

I want you to think about what has transpired over the last 2 years. When Jayson Tatum made his 3rd straight All NBA 1st team last season, he became the first Celtic since Larry Bird to achieve something like that. Only 6 other Celtics in their history have at least 3 First Team selections. A few months later, Tatum would go on to win the NBA title by his age 26 season. He became the youngest player in both Celtics and NBA history to ever lead a title winning team in all 3 major statistical categories. You know who also did that? Larry Bird. You all know the graphic by now

I'm simply saying, from a Celtics perspective, we're comfortably watching the 4th best Celtic to ever live and a player that has a chance if things continue to progress how they are, to get as high as 3rd. We are witnessing a generational Celtic, another franchise pillar that will define this era. I do think we all need to take a second and take a step back and understand what we're experiencing. 

What makes Tatum's performance so special is it's bigger than just Celtics history. There are a few ways to look at his night. If you look at the overall points, rebounds, and assists, you witnessed something that has only happened 11 other times in NBA history

That's every team, every player, every game, ever. 11 times. 

If you would also like to take into account the 9 3PM that Tatum had in this game, well, then that list gets trimmed down to just 2 people

Oh, and this all came with just 2 FTA for Tatum too. None of this shit you see with everyone else where 17 of the 43 are FTs. Only ethical hoops are played in Boston.

Now, let's again put perspective around what this is saying. Have we seen Giannis do this? Nope. Jokic? I'm not seeing him. Luka? Don't think so. SGA? Can't find him. LeBron? I'll be honest I would have thought he did it before but nope. So please, put some respect on NBA Champion Jayson Tatum. After quietly playing his way out of the top 3 MVP conversation, a performance like that is a nice reminder of who still runs things in the NBA. The Champion. When Tatum goes on a heater he can be just as historic and generational as the Giannis', Jokic's and Luka's of the league. Why do I say that? Because I watched it. Here, you watch it again too

10 out of 10 zero notes night on both ends of the floor. When you lose, it's on the best player to ensure it doesn't happen again, and that is what Jayson Tatum did.

- I'd say on Thursday, no Celtic played worse than Jaylen Brown. The efficiency, shot selection, turnovers, lack of defense, lack of composure, it was all bad. That's the beauty of the NBA though, there's always a next game. You flush the no show and you focus on getting back to being a winning player.

This is what that looks like

A much better 19/5/8 with 2 TOs on 9-20 (0-5) and a +16 in his 33 minutes. Considering he was coming off a -19 disaster, I'd say that's an improvement. The non-Tatum minutes led by Brown were much better in this game, including redemption in the 4th quarter when that unit started 11-2 to really break the game open. 

Defensively there weren't nearly the same on ball mistakes of just not guarding anyone. And while the three point shooting still doesn't look all that great, I thought Jaylen's overall balance offensively was perfect. No settling, aggressive, attacking smaller players in the post/paint and finishing strong, that's exactly how I want him to play while Tatum is on a heater. Because I know when you get a good Jaylen game with that Jayson Tatum, the Celtics do not lose.

I thought both players filled their roles perfectly. Tatum carried as the best player, Jaylen thrived in the non-Tatum minutes and filled his role as the supporting guy. Only thing I can ask is for Jaylen to get back to hitting a few open 3s, but other than that this was A+ stuff from both Jays.

- What makes the Celts so overwhelming is that while you're already dealing with the best duo in the NBA, then the Celtics come at you with a 7'3 basketball demon. When you introduce that type of weapon into the equation, it becomes too much

Every single time I watch KP play all I do is pray to the Basketball Gods that they give us a healthy KP for a playoff run. We paid the sacrifice last season and proved we are worthy. Having Porzingis on the floor changes everything. Another 22/7 on 8-15, we haven't even seen the KP that's truly in basketball shape yet and he's already dominating games on both ends of the floor.

Is it terrifying any time he does literally anything on the court? Hell yeah it is. KP minutes are stressful as fuck, but when you see him make plays at the rim and then be a cheat code offensively, it makes it all worth it. Good luck beating this team 4 out of 7 times if this two way monster is on the floor for it. There's simply too much to worry about, and we haven't even gotten to the guards yet! 

If you're looking for why the Celts won the points in the paint battle 60-38, I'd say KP was a big factor. 

- As a general rule in my life, I will never complain about holding a NBA team in 2024 to under 100 points. I also subscribe to the theory that if you don't defend, you die. Nothing else you do matters if you can't get stops. Shooting is going to come and go, but the defense has to remain constant, night after night, regardless of opponent. That's what makes the wagon a wagon, not the shooting. 

What we saw in the second half of this game is the type of defense I'm talking about. Celts held the Bulls to just 44 points on 35/31% splits while causing 6 TOs. After bleeding 3PA at an alarming rate, they finally turned off the water and limited the Bulls to just 16 3PA (they had 25 in the first half and 52 on Thursday) which is ultimately what turned the game.

I think this is what people have to realize. You always hear about how the Celts need to attack more (?) and play in the paint more to "switch things up" when shots don't fall. But you see, it's not really that simple. What also has to happen is you have to guard. If your defense can't limit the opponent from taking 3s, then you can't just trade the 3s for 2s. That is how you lose, as we saw on Thursday.

Last night was a perfect example of what I mean. In the first half, the Bulls were getting up 25 3PA, so to stay attached, the Celts had to be relatively close (22 3PA). It was clear during that half that there was a weakness inside for the Bulls, so in order to be able to use possessions on 2s and exploit that, it meant they had to take away CHI's 3PA on the other end, which they did. 

- When the Celts win the margins, that's when you get the blowouts. Only 12 TOs which is manageable, they were monsters on the glass 59-43 including 17 OREB, 3 of which came from Payon Pritchard (Luke had 5 too). If you hit the glass like that, it tends to lead to easier opportunities, which is why it's no surprise the Celts were 25-12 in second chance points. 

The ball was moving with 27 assists and 18 of those coming from the Jays tells you that both guys were thriving as initiators and creators for others. Add in 12-14 from the FT line and this was a MUCH cleaner performance across the board.

The Bad

- I fear Derrick may not be quite out of his slump just yet. A tough 25/0% last night, he's now 8-26 (3-18) over his last two games, and is shooting just 36/30% in the month of December. You're still getting everything else when it comes to White, the elite rim protection, All NBA defense, passing etc, but the shot is going through a valley at the moment, there's no other way to really say it.

But you know what? I don't for a second want Derrick White to stop shooting. The moment he gets a sliver of space, I need that to be shot with confidence. He's way past needing to prove shit to me about his jumper, I know that thing is legit. The sample size and the Larry O'Brien confirm it. I just need him to not miss every open look he takes. There's a balance there.

- As I mentioned above, I didn't love the perimeter defense to start this game. You knew the Bulls gameplan was going to be getting up 3s, you just experienced it Thursday in a loss, and then you come out and allowed 25 in the first half of this game. The formula is out. People saw Mazzulla Ball and the success it has. More and more teams are going to try and use it, so the Celts need to be ready for that. Especially a team like the Bulls who have been a high volume 3PA team all year.

- While the 12 TOs isn't a bad number, the reality around them sure wasn't what I would call good. The Celts allowed 20 points off TOs, which 99.9% of the time usually comes back to bite them and ends in a loss. At this point, there are 3 main reasons for a Celts loss

1. Poor outside shooting

2. Poor late game rebounding

3. TOs/high opponent points off TOs

In prior years, if you got 1 of those 3, you beat the Celtics. With this version, you need at least 2 of those 3. On Thursday, it was #1 and #2, that was a loss. Last night, they really only got #3, which resulted in a win. 

The Ugly

- I'll be honest, there isn't a ton to even put here. The Celts led by as much as 29 and even the deep bench wasn't a disaster in their minutes at the end.

So I guess really my biggest takeaway from last night is how annoyed I am about Thursday. This should have been a 2 game sweep if the Celts didn't dick around in the 4th quarter on Thursday and get completely outplayed for 12 minutes. Every other matchup against the Bulls has gone this way, yet that one they fucked around and it bit them. God that's annoying. 

Looking ahead, Celts have one more tuneup against the injury depleted Magic before the Christmas showdown against the Sixers before another little 2 game series vs IND. Play like they did last night, and things should be just fine.