All Gas, No Brakes

There may be a month left of the regular season, but Sunday afternoon at the Garden felt like Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Two teams with elite superstar talent dueled it out with one team desperate for a win more than the other.

Jayson Tatum stole the entire show with Celtics' legend Glen "Big Baby" Davis watching in the stands, the 24-year-old netted a miraculous 54 points. Coming off a night where LeBron made his presence known with a 56 point outing, Tatum outdueled a player that is widely regarded as the best player in the NBA today. This game has evolved into more than just elite shot-making, but the ability to make the right decisions at the correct moment in time. The evolution of Tatum is remarkable, as he keeps putting his name in the lights with Boston legends.

Following the win over the Nets, head coach Ime Udoka stated, "I've mentioned health, shots we got, open looks that weren't career averages, a lot of things, but one thing I was never worried about was Jayson Tatum...It really is important to have scorers going against these guys to make them work on that end...Extremely proud of the effort on a night-to-night basis."

Tatum has already solidified himself in Celtic lore, as he tied Larry Bird for most 50+ point outings in his career with four. He is also the only player in the league this season who has scored 50 or more points in a single game more than once. The combination of Horford showing signs of his All-Star days and Smart playing with his classic pitbull mentality makes the Celtics one of the most feared teams heading into the postseason. Boston was all the way down at the 12 seed early in the season, but now is climbing up in the standings, and are ensuring the Nets place in the play-in tournament with three straight wins against its division rivals.

Boston has been known as a fringe team for the past few years, but there is something about this team that reminds people of a legit contender. In the past two seasons, the Celtics have been that team that nobody has really taken seriously when it comes to title contention. An early exit last season in the playoffs looked like where Boston was going to end up when the calendar turns to May. All that has changed due to the defensive versatility within the roster, and the incredible accession of Jayson Tatum.

Tatum has now evolved into a guy that can outduel arguably one of the best players on planet earth. Tatum is giving Celtic fans Paul Pierce throwback vibes, with the ability to take over a game with his relentlessness, and grit on both ends of the floor. Pierce played with a chip on his shoulder for a large part of his career. He was always the player that was continuously overlooked, and Tatum seems to be the same way. No matter how much the NBA world denies Tatum his glory, he just keeps playing basketball with reckless abandon.

The former Duke star netted his second-most threes in a single game on Sunday afternoon on the parquet floor with eight. With the entire world on the eyes of the TD Garden, Tatum shined the brightest in a game full of stars. His creativity when double teams start to attack him is unmatched. Tatum is becoming a player that makes the rest of the team around him better. He doesn't force the issue when the defense is collapsing. Horford, Brown, and Smart continue to shoot the ball well along with Williams which makes the Celtics' offense that much more lethal.

At the beginning of the season, Boston relied a lot upon isolation basketball. Udoka has turned this offense into a top-three unit in the last 15 games. The Celtics’ offensive rating in the last 15 contests is better than the league-leading Phoenix Suns, the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, and even the red-hot Dallas Mavericks. Not only is the Boston defensive the best in the league, but the offense is starting to find its form at just the right time.

Even though Tatum put up an unreal 54 point outing, the entire team was a big contributor in the win over the Nets. Grant Williams and Al Horford had the task of guarding Kevin Durant on multiple occasions, and did considerably well, forcing him to take a tough shot each time down the floor. Robert Williams III has evolved into a starting center in this league, and an intimidator for any guard with intentions of scoring an easy two points.

After the game against Brooklyn, Marcus Smart stated, "That’s what we’re becoming: A really, really good team." The eight-year NBA veteran has been on some quality teams during his time in Boston, but this one just has a different feeling about it. The way this year started, and where the Celtics are now has demonstrated a lot of growth in the organization.

To be able to regroup and completely turn the season on its head in the span of a few months is quite impressive. This squad is doing it all with a first-year head coach, and a president of basketball operations that hasn’t been in that position before. Tatum and Brown’s emergence as playmakers and the role players that are around these two stars are the catalysts for a deep playoff run.

With the East being as loaded as it is, nobody knows what is going to happen when it comes playoff time, but what the world does know is Jayson Tatum is becoming one of the most feared shot makers in today's game. This Celtic team has the tools to do something special, and with an elite defense, and a player like Tatum, Boston may have found a way to get over the hump for the first time in over 12 years.

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