Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE through Getty Photos
On the heels of a stunning 118-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Sport 2 of the Jap Convention semifinals, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum defended his membership whereas pushing again on the notion they’re a superteam.
Talking to reporters after the sport, Tatum defined the Celtics typically get mentioned like a superteam regardless that they “did not get rewarded like” one (6:35 mark):
The Celtics had a dominant common season that in some methods put them alongside among the finest groups in NBA historical past. Their 64 wins tied the 2021-22 Phoenix Suns for probably the most by any membership previously six seasons.
Boston’s internet score of plus-11.6 tied the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors for the third-best mark in NBA historical past. The one groups forward of this yr’s Celtics are the 1995-96 and 1996-97 Chicago Bulls.
Regardless of that regular-season success, the Celtics weren’t a lot of a think about awards voting. Brad Stevens did get rewarded with the Government of the 12 months award, however head coach Joe Mazzulla was fourth in Coach of the 12 months voting and Tatum completed sixth in MVP voting.
Thursday’s recreation was the second double-digit loss for the Celtics on this postseason. They rebounded from a 111-101 loss to the Miami Warmth in Sport 2 of the primary spherical to win the following three video games by a median of twenty-two.7 factors to finish the collection in 5 video games.
There was nothing the Celtics did proper of their loss to the Cavs. They shot 41.3 % from the sector (8-of-35 from three-point vary), whereas Cleveland related on 54.7 % of its field-goal makes an attempt and all 5 starters shot at the least 50 % from the ground.
Not having Kristaps Porziņģis, who’s nursing a calf harm that has stored him out for the previous three video games, is impacting what the Celtics need to do on each ends of the courtroom. However it’s onerous to make use of his absence as an excuse for this loss once they gained the previous two video games with out him by a mixed 59 factors.
Tatum is true that the Celtics have not been rewarded like a superteam. It is as a result of they’ve but to play like one and sometimes play right down to their opponents within the playoffs.
The Celtics fell behind 3-0 to the No. 8 seed Warmth final yr within the Jap Convention Finals earlier than profitable three straight to power Sport 7 on their residence courtroom. They scored a season-low 84 factors in that recreation and misplaced by 19.
Till Tatum and this model of the Celtics win a title, there’ll all the time be a stigma that they don’t seem to be constructed to win within the playoffs.