BOSTON — Jayson Tatum did just about whatever he wanted during the first three quarters against the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Friday night. But when the game was on the line, the hard-nosed defensive prowess of the Heat made it difficult on Tatum time and time again.
It went a long way in Miami securing a 111-105 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Tatum did not score a basket in the fourth quarter. He didn’t score a point for a 15-minute span stretching from the third quarter all the way to the final minute of the fourth.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, however, didn’t want to take too much credit for it. Spoelstra acknowledged how Tatum missed shots he’s made plenty of times.
“I don’t like thinking about that,” Spoelstra said after Miami took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“He’s a great player, I mentioned that at the top of this series,” Spoelstra continued. “He’s one of the best players on the planet playing with that round ball. Sometimes it’s make or miss in this league. We’re aware of, if you think he’s going to miss at some points of the game — we know what he can do in the fourth quarter. We were watching that (76ers) series. He’s a great player. He deserves the respect of our efforts to try to make it tough. Great players, they can go above and beyond.”
After that aforementioned 15-minute stretch without a point, Tatum hit five free throws in the final minute. The first three cut Boston’s deficit to 105-103 with 49 seconds left before he then cut Miami’s lead to 107-105 with 21 ticks left. Tatum had two turnovers in the fourth quarter, as well. Boston held a 12-point lead less than 90 seconds into the final period before a calamity in the fourth.
“Sometimes it’s make or miss,” Spoelstra said. “He’s fully capable of making some of these shots. It always looks better if you get the win.”
Tatum finished with a game-high 34 points on 50% from the field, along with 13 rebounds and eight assists. He nevertheless was Boston’s best player on the floor.
But the Heat now head back to Miami for Games 3 and 4 and are a mere two wins away from the NBA Finals. Limiting Tatum like they did in the fourth will go a long way in helping them get there.
