The Boston Celtics were in control for much of Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors and looked poised to take a 3-1 series lead.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
The Celtics took just eight shots in the final five minutes of the game and were outscored by Golden State by 14 points during that stretch.
Jayson Tatum finished Game 4 with 23 points, but only amassed seven in the second half. He couldn’t hit his shots whether it was a 3-pointer or layup, and the Celtics star shouldered the blame after the 107-97 loss.
“I mean, I give them credit, they’re a great team. They’re playing well. They got a game plan, things like that,” Tatum told reporters, as transcribed by ASAP Sports. “But it’s on me. I got to be better. I know I’m impacting the game in other ways, but I got to be more efficient, shoot the ball better, finish at the rim better.
“I take accountability for that. I just look forward to Monday. Leave this one behind us. Learn from it, watch the film, things like that, but everybody probably feels like they got to be better, myself included. Just go get it on Monday.”
It wasn’t just Tatum who struggled in the final 12 minutes, but he doesn’t feel he’s putting too much pressure on himself to be better on the court.
“No. I think that’s just as simple as it is. I just got to be better. I know I can be better, so it’s not like I, myself or my team is asking me to do something I’m not capable of,” Tatum said. “They know the level and I know the level that I can play at.
“It’s kind of on me to do that more often than not just to help my team in the best way that I can. It’s not too much pressure at all. It’s kind of like my job.”
It certainly doesn’t make your job any easier when Steph Curry turns in a vintage performance and drops 43 points.
Hopefully Tatum can do his job as the NBA Finals shifts back to the Bay Area, with Game 5 set for Monday night. Tipoff from Chase Center is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
