Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum took over Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday and owned the moment.
Tatum’s incredible 51-point performance, which set the NBA record for most points scored in a Game 7, earned him praise from his teammates and even the Philadelphia 76ers, but also from a couple of former Celtics stars.
Paul Pierce, who helped Boston win its last NBA title in 2008, went to social media to let it be known how impressed he was by Tatum in the 112-88 win for the Celtics over the 76ers at TD Garden.
“Damn @jaytatum0 woke up today and chose violence,” Pierce tweeted with a bunch of hand-clapping emojis. “Wow.”
Former Celtics fan favorite Isaiah Thomas certainly understood what Tatum was going through since Thomas had his own 50-point playoff showing with the Celtics in Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Washington Wizards. Thomas poured in 53 points — the second-most scored in a postseason contest in Celtics franchise history — in an overtime win.
And with Boston’s season on the line, Thomas wasn’t surprised to see Tatum rise to the occasion.
“Tatum did what he was suppose to do!” Thomas tweeted. “Real HOOP game. One of them killassssss.”
If Tatum can continue to lead Boston through the playoffs, he should expect more adulation to come from former Celtics players.
