Losing a massive Game 4 at home to an injured, but still painfully deadly, Steph Curry, was a momentum killer. There is no two ways about it. The Celtics had the chance to put the series on ice, taking a 3-1 series lead back to Golden State where they would have only had to win 1/3 final games. It does not get any better than that.
But that is not what Jayson Tatum, and the Celtics are facing. They are facing a monumental task of having to go back to Golden State and winning one, along with winning another game at TD Garden. Does the series seem out of reach with this Game 4 loss? I don’t think so. Yes, Steph Curry was unplayable, posting a 43-point night to cap off a 107-97 victory for the Warriors. But how did the Celtics players do points-wise? Great question. They were downright dreadful.
Only Tatum and Jaylen Brown had 20-point nights (and barley at that, with Tatum at 23 and Brown at 21). In the two games they won, the Celtics had three players score 20-point. Three! And they were not just 20 or 21-point nights, they were 26, 27, 28-point performances. But most importantly, Jayson Tatum was only a 20-point scorer in one of those games. In the games they lost, Tatum put up 28 in Game 2 and 23 in Game 4. Are you seeing a trend?
Am I saying that Jayson Tatum is the reason why the Celtics are looking like they are about to lose the finals? No, definitely not. He is their best player, hands down. Am I saying that Tatum should stop shooting as much? Yes. But not for a bad reason.
In both games they won, the Celtics scored over 115 points. The Warriors have not done that in any game this series, even when they won. That is because they are uber-reliant on Steph Curry putting up monstrous numbers to bail them out time after time again. They do not have what the Celtics have (at least for now). Scoring depth!
The Warrior’s depth shooters are barley putting up 15 points a night, let alone the 20-25 the Celtics’ secondary scorers have been averaging in their wins. But what does this have to do with Jayson Tatum? Well, he is the focal point of the entire Celtics offense. Nearly everything the Celtics have and will have run this series has gone through him. And with good reason as he was voted 1st Team All-NBA this year. But the Warriors have figured that out too.
They have clamped down on Tatum defensively, which has not only hindered his scoring game, but also the team. Sure, Tatum is able to still put-up good numbers, like in Game 2 with 28 points, but at a cost to the team. When he is the sole man scoring, the Celtics have lost both games. That is just a fact.
That’s why it is vital for Tatum to lure the Warriors’ double teams on him, so that it gives a chance for guys like Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Derrick White, Grant Williams, etc. to go on scoring tears from Tatum’s assists. And when the Warriors have tried to stop them, it is already too late as the game is usually beyond them. If Tatum uses his great passing ability to set up the secondary guys, Golden State has shown they have no answer for multiple Celtic scoring. That is the way the Celtics can come back and beat Golden State and lift their long-awaited 18th title.
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