"They're pointing out the obvious" - Stephen A. Smith questions Jayson Tatum's bona fides in clutch, defends his detractors
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals for the second time over the last three seasons. They couldn’t get it done in 2002 when Steph Curry rose to the occasion to lead the Golden State Warriors to another Larry O’Brien Trophy. After that heartbreaking loss, the Celtics are looking to get over the hump.
Lining up across them will be Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic and Co. ruled the West by eliminating three of the top four seeds in their conference. They sent home the LA Clippers in the first round and booted out the top-ranked OKC Thunder in the semis. For the coup de grace, they nearly shut out Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Although the Celtics open the championship series as favorites, some are going with the Mavs. Those who picked Dallas pointed out Doncic as having the more poised and clutch game compared to Tatum.
Stephen A. Smith had this to say about how Jayson Tatum’s critics:
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“Somebody called me about him [Tatum] the other day talking about, ‘When is he gonna get enough credit? Why people being so critical of him?’ I said, ‘Stop. They ain’t being critical of him. They’re pointing out the obvious. He hasn’t closed.
“I don’t wanna hear about numbers. … In the sport of basketball, as Luka [Doncic] displayed last night against Minnesota, ultimately it comes down to you. What you gonna do? Where you gonna stand?”
The veteran ESPN analyst emphasized how Jaylen Brown got it done in the Eastern Conference finals when the shooting guard hit an over-time forcing triple. Smith also added that it was “JB” who was named the ECF finals MVP and not Tatum.
The “First Take” host also raved about Luka Doncic’s performance against the Timberwolves throughout the West finals. He noted in particular the Slovenian’s close-out Game 5 performance that led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals.
Stephen A. Smith isn’t putting Luka Doncic under the same scrutiny as Jayson Tatum
Stephen A. Smith said that Jayson Tatum's critics are pointing out the “obvious,” which is Tatum’s seeming inability to close out a series. The Boston Celtics won the East in 2022 and along the way, Tatum had some incredible performances to the NBA Finals. He was the main reason Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets were swept in the first round.
In the semis, Tatum’s 46 points in Milwaukee forced a Game 7 which the Celtics eventually won. “JT” outdueled Giannis Antetokounmpo in that epic encounter.
Against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, he was the best player on the court. Jayson Tatum was the deserving winner of the ECF MVP award. Sure, he imploded in the 2022 NBA Finals against Steph Curry’s Warriors. He looked out of sorts and couldn’t get it done and as Stephen A. Smith said he couldn’t close.
But Smith and Tatum’s detractors are overlooking the fact that Luka Doncic couldn’t get it done as well versus the same Dubs. Dallas lost 4-1 in the 2022 Western Conference finals. If the Slovenian had done better, it would have been a Celtics-Mavericks championship bout.
One could even say Jayson Tatum has slightly been better as he reached the NBA Finals before Doncic could.
Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic have been successful but they’ve also failed on the biggest stage of their respective careers. The problem with Smith’s comment is he is looking at Boston’s star in a different light compared to how he sees Dallas’ franchise cornerstone.
This year will be different as the two will be going head to head. After the Mavs-Celtics series, Smith and fans could definitely say who has gotten the credit and who has been overlooked.