What Jayson Tatum Finds Surreal About Celtics’ NBA Finals Run

The Celtics completely overhauled their roster last season, and one addition paid dividends during their dominant postseason run.

Jrue Holiday brought a championship mentality to Boston, and it was on display in the first three games of the NBA Finals. The 34-year-old was exactly what the Celtics needed after they traded Marcus Smart in a three-way deal that netted Kristaps Porzingis.

Boston acquired Holiday from the Trail Blazers after the Milwaukee Bucks sent the guard to Portland in a blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard. It was a pair of trades those teams might regret.

“I don’t know how they let us get him, but I’m so happy we got Jrue on our team, and we’re just very fortunate. And he just makes winning plays,” Jayson Tatum said on NBA TV. “He’s obviously been here and won a championship and more than anything, he just raises everybody else’s level on defense. On a team like we have, you don’t want to be the weakest link on defense. We all take pride in guarding our guy, and it starts with Jrue Holiday. And we’re all just trying to match his level.”

Holiday is averaging 15.7 points per game off 41.7% from 3-point range in the NBA Finals, and he’s made key plays throughout the series against the Dallas Mavericks. He’s helped Boston come within one game of claiming the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which would only serve to add to Holiday’s potential Basketball Hall of Fame résumé.