"Facing elimination on the road against the best player alive, went toe-to-toe with him and beat him" - NBA analyst outlines major reason as to why Boston Celtics were able to overcome Bucks
After a long and hard-fought series, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks squared off in a decisive Game 7 Sunday afternoon.
Despite an incredible showing from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the defending champs were eliminated. Boston walked away with a 109-81 victory and is on a collision course with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.
Following Boston's elimination of the finals favorite, FS1's Nick Wright praised the Boston Celtics. He has been especially impressed with All-Star Jayson Tatum's performance this postseason. Wright felt the trajectory of the series changed following Tatum's showing in Game 6.
"Newly minted superstar Jayson Tatum had his first truly super-duper star moment of his career. Tatum, facing elimination on the road against the best player alive, went toe-to-toe with him and beat him."
Through the first two rounds, Tatum is averaging 28.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. He did a bit of everything in Game 7, tallying 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
"In the 4Q of Game 6 something very important happened — newly minted superstar Jayson Tatum had his first truly super-duper star moment of his career. Tatum facing elimination on the road against the best player alive, went toe-to-toe with him & beat him." — @getnickwright https://t.co/asZgFhF0K6
Many factors can be attributed to the Boston Celtics making their way back to the conference finals, but Tatum's play has been the most important. As Wright mentioned, he has firmly cemented himself as a superstar in the NBA.
He first knocked off Kevin Durant in round one, then managed to overcome Giannis and the Bucks in round two. That's an impressive feat for a player who is only 24-years-old.
Boston Celtics are legitimate threat to win the NBA title
They did not start the year out this way, but there is no denying that the Celtics look a legitimate contender for the title. Thanks to an incredible run in the second half of the year, Tatum and company continue to build off their momentum.
Looking at the four remaining teams in the playoffs, it's hard to pick a team over the Celtics to be crowned champions. While teams like the Warriors and Heat might have more experience, they lack the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Boston.
For starters, no team has a wing player at their disposal who can guard Tatum. Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker might slow him down a little but will not be able to keep up through a seven-game series.
JAYSON TATUM OH MY 🤯 https://t.co/qxkHJY46jz
The thing that really sets the Celtics apart from the competition is their defense. Led by Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, they have the personnel to guard teams in multiple ways.
Taking down the Miami Heat is not going to be easy. However, based on what we've seen in the postseason, the Celtics look well on their way to adding another championship to the franchise's long resume.