The Celtics falling two wins short of an NBA championship probably is the greatest heartbreak Jayson Tatum has experienced as a basketball player to date.
The sting brought on by Boston’s 2022 Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors might never totally subside for Tatum or any other player on the Celtics’ roster. But Reggie Miller wants to see the three-time All-Star ultimately spin the shortcoming on basketball’s biggest stage into a positive.
One day after the Celtics’ season came to an end via a Game 6 loss to Stephen Curry and company at TD Garden, Miller offered some advice to Boston’s franchise cornerstone.
“Understand and relish in the disappointment of that series versus Golden State,” Miller said during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” as transcribed by Sportscasting.com. “It’s painful. I’ve been there.
“At 24, the future is bright. To me, his star is only going to ascent and rise. If he can take that pain of how that felt and use it to his advantage, I think the Celtics have something special brewing there.”
Tatum’s Finals-related pain probably was worsened by the fact that he didn’t play particularly well against the Warriors and was especially lousy when Boston’s back was completely up against the wall. But athletes typically can learn more from losses than wins, so the Celtics coming up short might prove to be a blessing in disguise for Tatum in the long run.
