While Jayson Tatum’s play has been the subject of some criticism during the playoffs, it would be hard to find much wrong with his performance on Saturday as the Boston Celtics earned a come-from-behind victory over the Indiana Pacers to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tatum led both teams in scoring, finishing with 36 points. He added 10 rebounds and 8 assists, all while not turning the ball over once. That’s a first in the history of the NBA Playoffs.
“Jayson Tatum is the 1st player in NBA history with at least 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists while committing 0 turnovers in a playoff game,” Celtics insider Taylor Snow noted on X (formerly Twitter) after the game.
Jayson Tatum is the 1st player in NBA history with at least 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists while committing 0 turnovers in a playoff game. pic.twitter.com/jjYsonLVGb
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) May 26, 2024
Tatum’s historic performance earned a lot of praise on Saturday night.
Not MJ
Not LeBron
Not Luka
Not KD
Not Bird
Not Magic
Not Kobe
Not Duncan
Not Steph
Not Kawhi
Not JokicJAYSON TATUM was the first ever https://t.co/xInedqPnSC
— Marc D’Amico (@Marc_DAmico) May 26, 2024
RESPECT JAYSON TATUM https://t.co/RhoDLZULKD
— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) May 26, 2024
HIM!!! https://t.co/Er0r8sDtnF
— CELTICS ☘️ BANNER 18 (@BiggLynch) May 26, 2024
is this good? feels like this is good. @jaytatum0 @celtics https://t.co/OCpJXF6qHI
— Chris Brockman🎙️ (@chrisbrockman) May 26, 2024
Remember like 2 days ago when people were saying it’s actually Jaylen Brown’s team?
The real secret is this is a great basketball team with many great players! And they all have great games all the time! https://t.co/7jfRZRSBcG
— Matt St. Jean (@mattstdream) May 26, 2024
That’s in the running for best Tatum games — loved how he played. https://t.co/z4Iavn48bL
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 26, 2024
These were not empty stats put up in a loss or blowout win, either. Indiana had an 18-point lead in the third quarter and led by nine heading into the fourth quarter before Boston staged a comeback to ultimately win Game 3, 114-111.
Tatum and the Celtics will go for the sweep on Monday. If they win Game 4, they’ll punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
[Taylor Snow on X]