NBA 2021-22: 'Jayson Tatum is having one of the greatest ever post-season runs' - Kendrick Perkins
Former Boston Celtics centre Kendrick Perkins believes Jayson Tatum is having one of the best post-season runs ever after leading his team to the NBA 2022 finals.
FollowFormer Boston Celtics centre and ESPN Analyst Kendrick Perkins believes Jayson Tatum is having one of the greatest ever post-season runs after leading his team to the NBA 2022 Finals following a narrow Game 7 win over the Heat. Tatum's impressive playoffs run began in the first game of the first round when he scored a buzzer-beater game-winner.
It would be the closest game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Celtics as the latter managed to win the series 4-0. Tatum would average 29.5 points per game in the opening round and have 7.3 assists with excellent efficiency. He also played a key role defensively in containing Kevin Durant to one of his worst series.
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Things would get more complex in the second round, as the Milwaukee Bucks took a 3-2 lead in the series with Game 6 in Milwaukee. With many counting out the Celtics, Jayson Tatum led his team to victory with a staggering 46-point performance. The Celtics would win Game 7 and reach the Conference Finals. Tatum's averages in this series were 27.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
In the Conference Finals, the Celtics went up against the top-seed Heat. The series started roughly for Tatum, as the Celtics lost Game 1 after a complete collapse in the third quarter. A significant part of this collapse was the Celtics' turnovers, where Tatum can be held responsible, as he had six turnovers. Tatum scored the ball well with 29 points on 21 field goal attempts and nine free throw attempts, but it came in a loss partially due to him.
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Game 2 was a bounce-back game for Tatum and the Celtics, as Tatum scored an extremely efficient 27 points to-go-along with five rebounds and five assists. The Celtics would win Game 2 by 25 points. Game 3 was Tatum's worst game of the series, as he only scored ten points on 3/14 shooting from the field and had six turnovers, as the Celtics went 2-1 down in the series. The Celtics needed a big performance from Tatum in Game 4, and they got just that, as he scored an efficient 31 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, and a couple of blocks, as the Celtics blew out the Heat by 20 points.
The Celtics won again in Game 5, and even though Tatum wasn't as efficient in scoring, he contributed to the team's success by playmaking at a high level. Tatum ended the game with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists. He scored one of his most efficient 30-point games in Game 6, with 30 points on just 12 field-goal attempts and eight free throw attempts. However, his seven turnovers were a problem, as the Celtics narrowly lost the opportunity to go to the Final.
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In Game 7, Tatum rectified his turnover problem with just a couple of turnovers while having a great all-around game as he had 26 points, ten rebounds, six assists, one steals, and two blocks. The Celtics narrowly won a road Game 7 and the Conference Finals, with Tatum being the best player on the winning team, as he won the inaugural Larry Bird award.
Kendrick Perkins said about the Celtics' superstar's playoff run, "Think about this for a second. In the first round, he [Tatum] went through Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. He went through Giannis Antetokounmpo in the second round. Jimmy Butler, the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and an elite head coach in Erik Spoelstra. Now, he has an opportunity to take down Steph Curry. If he completes the mission, this will be one of the greatest individual performances in NBA history."
