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Tim BontempsESPN
BOSTON Jayson Tatum We had an easy solution for the Boston Celtics Could bounce back with a win Monday night in Game 5 of NBA Finals. He needs to play better.
“I mean I give,” [the Golden State Warriors] “credit,” Tatum said following Boston’s 107 -97 loss to Golden State in Game 4 at TD Garden on Friday night. This tied the series at 2-2. “They are a great team. They’re doing well. They had a game plan.
“But it’s on you. I can do better. While I know that I’m having an impact on the game in other ways I need to improve my efficiency, shot quality, and finish at the rim.
“I am responsible for it.”
Tatum hasn’t played up to the standards he had set in this series. Tatum is currently shooting 34 percent from the field. Despite passing the ball well in Boston’s win, where he had 22 assists and four turnovers (which was a great feat), he has only nine assists and 10 turns in their losses.
Tatum and the rest of the Celtics were unable to score in the fourth quarter. They made only two shots in the final seven minutes. Golden State won the game with a 21-6 win, flipping the series in its favor.
Tatum was 1-for-5 in fourth quarter. Tatum said, “We clearly felt like we put ourselves into the position to win this game.” “There are many things that we wish we could have done differently, especially on offense. “I think we were just a little too stale in the fourth.
Tatum was the face of the Celtics franchise, earning MVP honors in Eastern Conference finals. He is the Warriors’ star opposite. Stephen Curry Curry has been unrivaled on the court, throughout this entire series.
In Game 4, Curry was dominant every second of his time on the court, scoring 43 points, 10 boards and four assists. Tatum’s performance was a clear example of Boston’s poor decisions for most of the game. Tatum had five turnovers, and was a major part of the team’s slow offense down the stretch.
Tatum was asked if he puts too much pressure on his self. He said no, and that he needs to do better.
He said, “I believe that’s just the same as it is.” “I have to do better. It’s not that I, my team, or I are asking me to do anything I’m not capable. I know that I can be more. They know the level I can play at and I know it.
“It’s kinda on me that that more often than usual just to help the team in any way that I can. It’s not too stressful. It’s almost like my job.”
Ime Udoka, the Celtics coach, said Tatum has been hunting fouls rather than trying to win through contact when he was asked about his experience with Tatum thus far in this series.
Udoka explained that Udoka is sometimes looking for fouls. “They load up in certain games. He is finding the outlets. Shooting with two, three or more guys. You have to strike a balance between being aggressive, picking your spots, and doing what you’ve done in the past games.
“That’s our ongoing theme. He is a good scorer and playmaker. They do a great job with their rotations. Sometimes they are more interested in hunting fouls than finishing the game. This has happened in several games.
The Celtics must see the Tatum who has shown up in big spots in these playoffs earlier in this season, such as his 46 point effort in Milwaukee in Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to prevent elimination. Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks, the reigning champion.
Boston may be able to close this series if it puts in a similar performance in Game 5 in San Francisco Monday night.
Tatum expressed confidence that Tatum and the Celtics are able to bounce back.
Tatum stated that “We don’t do these s—on purpose.” “I promise you we don’t. We will do our best. There are some things that we need to correct. We had to correct turnovers and offensive movement. Would we have preferred to have won today, and been up 3-1? It would have been the ideal scenario.
“But it’s not the Finals. They came here wanting to win. It wasn’t an easy task. It was not easy, but that is part of its beauty. It shouldn’t.
“We both know that we want it, so we have to take it.”