Jayson Tatum struggled in the fourth quarter when the Celtics needed him the most, but his teammates know to rally around him.
To be fair, the entire Boston team had a dreadful final 12 minutes in its Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors to make this a 2-2 NBA Finals series. Tatum had a team-high 23 points, which looks good in the box score, but if you dig a little deeper you’ll notice he had just seven points in the second half.
But at the end of the day, Marcus Smart knows it’s important to keep encouraging Tatum — especially ahead of a crucial Game 5.
“Yeah, we all are. We just constantly let him know keep going. This isn’t your first time being in a slump. Won’t be the last time. You got to figure it out,” Smart told reporters, as transcribed by ASAP Sports. “We trust you, we believe in you. This is what you’re made for. Jayson has to figure it out. We have to do a good job of helping him.
“But, you know, him being the player he is, these are the moments where he has to come alive and figure it out. He will. We don’t know when it is, but we’re sure it’s going to happen soon, we’re ready for it, and we’re here to back him up.”
Tatum wasn’t the only one who struggled Friday, but he is someone the Celtics depend on to lift the team up in the final minutes of a game.
Game 5 is set for Monday night with tipoff from Chase Center slated for 9 p.m. ET.
