"It's a killer for your team when the other squad snatches 19 steals" - Former Indiana Pacers player points out Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's turnover troubles as a recipe for disaster for Celtics
After eveninging up the series with a win in Game 2, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics were back on their home floor with a chance to take a commanding lead. Despite finding themselves down 15 at halftime, the Celtics managed to make things interesting down the stretch. But in the end, it was the Heat who came away victorious in Game 3 by a final score of 109-103.
One factor that played a key role in the Celtics' downfall was turnovers. In total, Boston coughed up the ball 23 times in Game 3. What made things worse was that a majority of these turnovers came from the Celtics' star players.
Jayson Tatum has been incredible in these playoffs, but struggled mightily in Game 3. He tallied only 10 points and turned the ball over six times. Jaylen Brown was phenomenal in his 40-point barrage, but committed seven turnovers himself.
A team cannot surrender the ball that much in the postseason and expect to win. Following this showing of carelessness with the basketball, Jalen Rose sounded off on Boston's All-Stars.
"But this is the thing I want to make sure also point for Tatum and Brown. too many turnovers, it's is one thing to have 23 turnovers. It's a killer for your team when the other squad snatches 19 steals."
Yep, we're the type of team account to post a 3 minute long video of just defense. #HEATCulture https://t.co/GWwTMMahzE
Jayson Tatum must step up if the Boston Celtics are going to reach the NBA Finals
After leading the charge for Boston throughout the playoffs, Jayson Tatum fell way short against Miami in Game 3. As his team's best player, performances like this are tough to overcome.
To put it simply, the Celtics need more from Jayson Tatum if they plan on advancing to the NBA Finals. Miami has no intentions of just rolling over, and they showed that in Game 3. The All-Star forward cannot succumb to the hard-nosed, physical defense that the Heat plays.
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The postseason is a chance for players to cement themselves as superstars. We were starting to see Jayson Tatum enter that category, but rough nights like the one he had in Game 3 hurt his case.
Looking ahead, the pressure is on not only for Jayson Tatum, but the Boston Celtics as a whole. They are now in must-win territory as they don't want to go back to Miami down 3-1 in the series. Taking care of the basketball should be their top priority, but getting Tatum back on track will be crucial if the Celtics don't want their postseason run to come to an end.