BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla had never been in a Game 7 situation before as a head coach, but he looked to pass on advice to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum anyways.
Tatum rode a turbulent rollercoaster in the Eastern Conference semifinals prior to Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. The journey almost crashed for Tatum, and the Celtics, after a horrific showing through three quarters in Game 6 before rescuing his performance with four 3-pointers in the final minutes of that contest.
Seemingly everyone had an opinion about Tatum and the vast swings his play took, but Mazzulla wanted the 25-year-old to block it all out when he stepped on the floor with Boston’s season on the line.
“I told him I loved him. I told him when the game starts, don’t listen to people and try to get out to a good start scoring,” Mazzulla said. “You’re not defined by scoring in my book, and that’s most important. Is don’t let your identity be caught in what others say about you. Your identity is in who you are as a person and how well you can dominate the game in areas that don’t get all the attention.
“And I thought I saw that from him tonight. And when you do that, you get moments like that. When he plays a well-rounded game, our team is different. Credit to him for buying into that.”
Tatum seemed to only take in some of Mazzulla’s message, though, as scoring is what defined his incredible Game 7 performance in a one-sided 112-88 victory for the Celtics at TD Garden. He poured in an NBA record 51 points on 17-of-28 shooting, but also did some of those other things Mazzulla discussed with him. Tatum grabbed 13 rebounds and was part of a stellar defensive effort that held the 76ers to 3-of-21 shooting in a pivotal third quarter. He also dished out five assists and for a player who coughs up the ball way more than he should, he committed zero turnovers.
None of it came as a surprise to Mazzulla, who believed Tatum’s even-keeled nature helped him navigate the series until he finally erupted at the most opportune time for the Celtics.
“A guy that doesn’t get too high or too low,” Mazzulla said. “Takes the game the way it comes and he has ultimate trust in himself and in his teammates.”
