The Boston Celtics suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals as their superstar Jayson Tatum did not meet the expectations of the fans and also of everyone else. He had one of the worst superstar performances in the NBA Finals. So when the Warriors sealed the title at the TD Garden, Tatum was trolled and criticized by fans and analysts.
Tatum had a game to forget in the Game 6 as he dropped 13 points in the second half as Warriors clinched the title. He faced severe backlash from the experts and fans whereas some people have also lauded his performances till this stage.
Tatum was one of the crucial pieces for the Celtics and his performances in the postseason cannot be overlooked. Recently Reggie Miller showed his support to the 24-year-old as he shared how Tatum overpowered some of the greats in this playoffs and helped the Celtics reach the Finals.
Reggis Miller on the Dan Patrick Show shared his opinion on Tatum as he said, “I’m not worried about Jayson Tatum. I know it’s disappointing because we were ready to anoint him, and I get it. But you can’t discredit what he did throughout this postseason against some of the all-time greats in our game in Kevin Durant, Giannis and Jimmy Butler, you can’t discredit that. He was an Eastern Conference finals MVP, right?”
Tatum was immense in both the Game 7s against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat, Miller wants people to remember those performances and not just bash someone for having a few days off..
“And we’re taking 6 games and throwing everything else out the window. What about all those other games that mattered, those Game 7s when they were down 3-2, when they were facing elimination and how big he came up. Let’s not throw him under the bus yet,” Miller explained.
The Boston Celtics were 11th during midseason and they turned it around completely to reach the NBA Finals. That change would not have been possible without their talisman Jayson Tatum. He alongside Jaylen Brown carried the offense and allowed the team to make a turnaround in the last four months to reach the finals and were two wins away from the title.
While turnovers were a major concern for Tatum, he also ended with a record 600 points, 100 assists and 100 rebounds in a single playoffs, speaking volumes about his capability as a player. He will for sure learn from his mistakes and will evolve as a better individual in the upcoming seasons.
