The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum hasn’t exactly been flawless throughout the playoffs, but on Saturday night he came very close to being flawless.
The Eastern Conference Finals game three between the Celtics and the Indiana Pacers was an absolute thriller, and Pacers fans will likely never sleep well over it. Indiana led by as many as eight points with roughly two and a half minutes remaining, and Boston ultimately prevailed 114-111, and Tatum was a major factor in that victory.
Despite the Pacers being in a great position to win two of the three games in this series, the Celtics now hold a clear 3-0 lead in the series. With just one game remaining before the NBA Finals, Boston is in a strong position, largely because to Jayson Tatum.
In the third game, he scored the most points of any player with a total of 36, setting a record for the NBA. Taylor Snow tweeted, “Jason Tatum is the first player in NBA history to have at least 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists while committing 0 turnovers in a playoff game.”
Tatum was unstoppable on Saturday night. That is the type of game that Celtics fans have been waiting for, and if Tatum continues to play like that, Boston is going to be tough for anybody to beat.
With less than ten seconds remaining and the ball up three, it appeared as though the Pacers would win game one. With two and a half minutes remaining in game three, the Pacers had an eight-point lead, and it appeared as though they would win. But basketball is a weird game sometimes.
The Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum, managed to secure victories in both games, taking a 3-0 lead in the series. Boston needs just one more victory to advance to the NBA Finals, which means Indiana is in serious trouble.
It’s not shocking that the Celtics are ahead 3-0 in this series because nobody gave the Pacers much of a chance when it first started. That is unexpected, though, given how Indiana has performed. It’s shocking that they lost both of the games in which they had ideal chances to win.
Currently, the Pacers will need to defeat the NBA’s top team four times in a row, which will not be simple. In game four, which takes place at home on Monday night, Indiana will want to avoid losing.
ESPN will broadcast the game, which is scheduled to begin at 8:00 ET. As they presently have an 8.5-point advantage, the Celtics will be looking to Tatum to have another outstanding performance.