Jayson Tatum was surprised to see so many media members pick the Mavs to win the Finals, but he didn’t mind.
“I didn't know if they were trolling … or they really thought that the Mavs were gonna beat us … But I guess it felt good to be the underdog. First time in a while.”… pic.twitter.com/lSIGKUV5mK
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 10, 2024
Prominent basketball analysts like Stephen A. Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and others voiced their confidence in the Mavs ahead of the Finals. Although this perplexed Tatum, he didn’t mind having some doubters.
“I guess it felt good to be the underdog,” he revealed. “First time in a while.”
Boston was the overwhelming favorite in all of its previous series. The C’s extinguished the Miami Heat in five games, crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, and swept the Indiana Pacers in four games. Their dominance in the Eastern Conference Finals led to a lengthy break between that semifinal series and the Finals, making Tatum restless.
“It was just every day I turned the TV on there was a lot of debates and speculation and people giving ‘hot takes,’” he recalled. “It was just ‘Jayson Tatum, Jayson Tatum, Jayson Tatum’ every day … I was just ready to play basketball because it’s a long layoff to have from the Conference Finals to the Finals.”
When the wait was finally over, the Celtics showed that the Mavericks weren’t on their level quite yet.
How Jayson Tatum and the Celtics proved the doubters wrong
In Game 1, Boston came ready to play, jumping out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter. While the Mavs outscored the C’s in the second half, they still fell and faced a 1-0 series deficit for the third time that postseason.
Before the Finals, Dallas responded with a win every time it lost. Boston didn’t allow that though, earning a 105-98 victory at home and pulling within two wins of its 18th championship in franchise history.
On the road, the Celtics didn’t play as cleanly. They escaped Game 3 with a seven-point win after withstanding an impressive 22-2 run from the Mavericks. Then in Game 4, the Green Team had their worst offensive output of the season and were thoroughly embarrassed, falling 122-84.
Starting 5 offered us a little more of the on-court conversation between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after the Celtics went up 3-0 in the Finals.
“I love you, bro”
“Love you too. Way to f***ing play.”
“We’re right there. Right there.”
“We gotta finish this s***.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/d0bbYR1Q12
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 10, 2024
With that being said, the Celtics were still up 3-1 and had a chance to win it all in front of the TD Garden faithful. Tatum wouldn’t let this opportunity slip, putting on arguably his greatest performance of the playoffs.
The St. Louis native dropped 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds en route to a 106-88 win. His fearless drives to the rim and superb playmaking helped clinch the series and bring the Celtics their first title in 16 years.
“Starting 5,” which featured Tatum as one of its main subjects and followed him around throughout the 2023-24 campaign, saved the Celtics’ championship celebration for the 10th and final episode.
“I ain’t gonna lie I skipped to episode 10 last night,” Tatum admitted. “I was emotional, in a good way though … That made me really joyful.”
Jayson Tatum hasn’t watched all of Starting 5, but he made sure to catch the last episode that features him winning it all 🏆
“I ain’t gonna lie I skipped to episode 10.” pic.twitter.com/2SZnzy4zSI
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 10, 2024
Like the leadup to the Finals, the summer has featured plenty of hot takes and chatter about Tatum. However, much to the Celtics’ delight, the time for offseason talk is nearing its end. They’ll open up the season against the talented New York Knicks on Tuesday, October 22.
