Kendrick Perkins Apologizes To Jayson Tatum After Celtics Conquer Cavs

The Boston Celtics passed their first true test by defeating the previously unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers, 120-117, on Tuesday night, prompting Kendrick Perkins to extend a public apology to Jayson Tatum.

Tatum rose to the occasion in Boston’s second NBA Cup matchup, nearly a week after falling to the lowly Atlanta Hawks, to ensure the Celtics wouldn’t get off to a 0-2 start in tournament play. He scored a team-high 33 points on 50% shooting from the floor, knocked down six 3-pointers, grabbed 12 rebounds and logged seven assists, which cued an “M-V-P” chant from TD Garden’s crowd in the fourth quarter.

“Jayson Tatum, I apologize because we should mention your name more often when it comes to the three letters of MVP,” Perkins said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” Wednesday. “We talk about everybody else but we don’t talk about this man who constantly night in and night out is flirting with 30-point triple-doubles. We take away from him for the simple fact of the talent that’s around him. But the way that he’s been taking over games. We know that he’s a walking bucket. We know that he improved his 3-point shooting… But on top of that, it’s the rebounding for me. It’s the double-figure rebounds that he’s getting a game.”

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Boston allowed Cleveland to rally and cut down its 21-point lead to a thin two-point cushion in the fourth quarter, on a night when the Celtics were getting exposed defensively. The Cavaliers targeted Boston’s Neemias Queta, opening the door for easy lanes to the basket throughout the night and giving Cleveland an avenue to chip away whenever the Celtics battled to extend their lead on the other end.

Tatum’s chef’s kiss moment came at the end of the third quarter when the 26-year-old made Cleveland’s Georges Niang hit the deck with a crossover and knocked down a buzzer-beat three. Boston took a 93-88 lead into the fourth quarter while Tatum turned his back and hand-gestured a “get out of here” reaction toward Niang.

“We’ve been in that situation a million times where it’s like, ‘It’s time to win. It’s time to lock in,'” Tatum said postgame. “Guard your yard, help each other on defense, get a stop, go down on offense and find out who we’re trying to attack, where we need to put guys at and make the right play. Like I said, we just do the simple thing really well, really often”

Tatum, in helping improve the Celtics to a 12-3 record this season, now ranks third in scoring (29.9 points), first in 30-point games (with eight) and first in games with five-plus 3-pointers made (with nine). During the offseason, Tatum did mention an MVP chase would be on the agenda to which Perkins criticized the five-time All-Star for setting a “selfish” goal. Well so far, Tatum’s had his way and it’s working.

The Celtics reminded the 15-1 Cavaliers that the reigning champions are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, and Tatum’s performances warrant more MVP chants and a legitimate candidacy.