BOSTON — Jayson Tatum was the best player on the court through three quarters Friday night, leading the Celtics to an eight-point advantage entering the final frame.
Then everything went downhill, leading to another Boston loss and an 0-2 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because Tatum has been a nearly nonexistent scoring threat in the fourth quarters of the Celtics first two games against the Miami Heat. In Game 1, the 25-year-old scored just six points in the final frame — all of which came on free throws. In Game 2, he had just five points in the fourth — all of which, you guessed it, came from the charity stripe.
That is a grand total of 11 points on zero made field goals across 18 minutes. What has held the Celtics’ first 30-point scorer in franchise history to such pedestrian performances on the biggest stage of the season? He has an explanation.
“I mean, I had the ball a lot,” Tatum admitted postgame. “I was playing more point (guard) and making plays. I mean, obviously I draw a lot of attention, so I was creating for others. Sometimes shots just don’t go in, but I thought we generated some good shots. I think we got some really good looks.”
The idea that Tatum helped his teammates get opportunities to score is indisputable. It’s not like he was horrible offensively in Game 2, as he had three assists in the final frame, but those who have paid attention over the last few seasons expect him to put the ball in the basket in crunch time. The four-time All-Star finished with 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, but the Heat know what he’s capable of and have allowed that to influence the way they have played the Celtics early in the series.
“He had the ball in his hands almost the entire game,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “Against zone that happens a lot, but I thought against zone, I thought with him with the ball in his hands and the ability to make the right play, whether it was a pull-up three or the opportunity to get downhill, I thought he was extremely aggressive and I thought he did a great job with the ball in his hands making right play.”
Though the Celtics obviously want the ball in Tatum’s hands as much as possible, things might need to change in crunch time if the Celtics want to turn things around in Game 3.
It’s easier to say that needs to happen than put the idea into practice, however.
