How Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Reacted To First-Team All-NBA Selection

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum may have sacrificed alongside all of his Celtics teammates this season in the interest of a dominating style of winning.

That didn’t stop him from still putting up an elite season on an NBA level.

Tatum averaged nearly 27 points and eight rebounds per game during the regular season, a season that earned him a third straight spot on the All-NBA First Team. While his mind, along with the rest of the Celtics, is on closing out the Eastern Conference finals, Tatum still recognizes how meaningful the recognition is to him.

“It’s special,” Tatum said at TD Garden after a Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers. “It’s something I strive to do. I expect (it), but it’s nothing I take for granted. It’s an honor to be on First Team All-NBA. There’s so many talented guys in this league. Talent just gets better and better each and every year. Very fortunate to make that team again. Thankful for everybody that’s helped me along the way. Success is not something that you achieve by yourself. There’s a lot of people that deserve credit in helping me get to where I’m at.”

Tatum also used the time reflecting on his journey to join his Celtics teammates in support of Jaylen Brown, who did not earn a spot on the All-NBA team.

“We all felt like internally that he should’ve made an All-NBA team,” Tatum added. “It was a shame to see that he didn’t.”

With awards to be analyzed later, Tatum and the Celtics sit just two victories away from a second trip to the NBA Finals in three years.