Jayson Tatum is the talk of the NBA today following his [insert your own adjective here] performance in last night’s heart-pounding win over the Clippers.
But this game was loaded with exciting moments and clutch plays.
The defense on Kawhi was phenomenal
Not only did Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum have explosive offensive games, but they also stifled Kawhi. According to NBA Box Score matchups, JT guarded Kawhi for 5:56 and held him to 8 points on 4-12 shooting. Smart guarded Kawhi for 6:55 and held him to 4 points on 1-6 shooting. In comparison, Kawhi torched Kemba for 8 points in 0:47 seconds!
Jayson Tatum really played great defense against Kawhi Leonard 😳 pic.twitter.com/TCVRamGRDL
— Unofficial Aron Baynes Fan Club (@BaynesFanClub) February 14, 2020
Grant Williams had good moments, mixed in with the bad
Most people will remember Grant getting victimized here:
https://twitter.com/TheRenderNBA2/status/1228168147863134211?s=20
When in reality:
Grant Williams was really solid defensively after Daniel Theis fouled out in OT last night. He had a net rating of 50 in eight minutes during the two overtimes. pic.twitter.com/RvWd56nNjz
— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) February 14, 2020
Marcus Smart will always give me a heart attack
In addition to the aforementioned defense, Smart dazzled us with an array of three-point bombs, fadeaways, and floaters en route to 31 points. But my two no, no… yes! moments are the fading-out-of-bounds-3-pointer-in-transition and the questionable-outlet-pass-in-traffic-which-ended-in-Marcus-making-a-layup. Never change, Marcus. NEVER CHANGE!
Marcus Smart bullied the Clippers 🔥
📊: 31 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL pic.twitter.com/YmJ378gDyF— Celtics Direct (@CelticsDirect) February 14, 2020
Gordon Hayward rebounded to save the game
Up until the final 90 seconds of double-overtime, Hayward was shooting 5-20. And despite all the excitement in this game, some folks found the time to chirp his lackluster performance on Twitter. Everything changed in an instant when G sealed the game with plays on both ends:
👌 GORDON 👌 pic.twitter.com/HndO22SbYF
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 14, 2020
Gordon Hayward With The Game-Clinching Block! #LetsGoCeltics pic.twitter.com/XpAw5JxsNV
— Celtics News (@CelticsNewsNBA) February 14, 2020
Remarkable. *That* is mental toughness.
Am I allowed to nitpick Jayson Tatum?
JT was magnificent, but the 27-foot jumper he settled for at the end of the first overtime was a terrible shot. It was your classic Paul Pierce move, just ten feet beyond the elbow. Tatum has got to be aggressive and work his way into the paint. Granted, the refs will have a higher threshold for calling a foul, but superstars get calls! Don’t settle, JT.
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