The Celtics, facing the Spurs at home, experienced what at first looked likeΒ the absolute most hellish point of the season. It didn’t work out that way. Jayson Tatum matched Larry Bird’s single-game for record for points by a Celtic (60, alongside 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a block), and the Cs turned a 32-point deficit into a 143-140Β win.
I don’t think a conventional top-of-the-recap summary makes sense here. Best way to depict the whiplash of this game is as I experienced it, which I tried to capture in real time.
The following sums up the first quarter better than just about anything else I could possibly write:
10 points for Jayson Tatum. 0 points for any other Celtics
— John Karalis π¬π· πΊπ¦ (@John_Karalis) April 30, 2021
JT for 3οΈβ£ pic.twitter.com/S6dgeJe6MR
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 30, 2021
By the end of the first quarter, he would have 14 points, and the other Celtic players had…2. Total, thanks to Tristan Thompson rage-dunking on Jakob Poetl.
I appreciate Jaylen's energy, but the shots … not so much
— Max Lederman (@Max_Lederman) April 30, 2021
(Even when other Celtics seemed like they were making their way out of the full-squad slump, circumstance would screw them as much as their own mistakes did. Thinking of that Jaylen drive against Poetl that ended in a BS goaltending call.)
Tatum carry us now pic.twitter.com/4VTWvaQYL3
— ποΈπ·ποΈπππ£π½πππ§πππ (@manbearpiggins) May 1, 2021
Make no mistake, this was a result of the team shooting itself in the foot. Repeatedly. So that even when they’d have good individual moments or ball movement that looked right, none of it seemed to matter. It’s worth noting that San Antonio shot an absurd and clearly unsustainable 73% from the field in the first half, but the majority of that percentage was earned due to Boston’s mistakes. I mean, look at this:
Celtics trail the Spurs 77-48 at the half
Tatum: 24pts (9/17)
G. Williams: 8pts
BOS: 34.8% FG, 27,8% 3PT (5/18)Murray: 20pts (9/9), 4asts
DeRozan: 12pts, 8asts
Poeltl: 8pts, 3rebs
SA: 71.4% FG, 45.5% 3PT (5/11)— Josue PavΓ³n (@Joe_Sway) May 1, 2021
When the best thing that happens for you in the game is having a flagrant-one call go your way (the call halfway through Q3 against Poetl for mauling Jaylen), you’re pretty much f**ked. (And, as Mike points out below, the hit was honestly worse than its classification.)
Boban got tossed for the same hit a few days ago.
— Mike Dynon βοΈπ (@MikeDynon) May 1, 2021
Then, about 2/3 of the way through the third quarter, things started, at last, to click.
Evan Fournier with the 3 in transition #Celtics Rewind presented by @tmobile pic.twitter.com/xa0UBJBaFp
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 1, 2021
Jaylen cuts into the lead with a DEEP 3#Celtics Rewind presented by @tmobile pic.twitter.com/CHfZ4qMj4q
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 1, 2021
Good news for the Celtics is Aaron Nesmith can shoot again.
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) May 1, 2021
A four point play from Jayson Tatum and a 32 point lead is down to 10 with 10:04 left
— John Karalis π¬π· πΊπ¦ (@John_Karalis) May 1, 2021
As Tatum tried his damnedest to will the Cs to victory and the Spurs lost a lot of their steam, DeMar DeRozan kept hitting big shots and getting to the line, and young soon-to-be-stars like Keldon Johnson and Dejounte Murray offered strong support. It ended up being the rookies Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard, as much as Tatum, who cut the Spurs lead to single digits. And then:
π¨π»π»π¨πͺπ² π΄πΆπ«π¬ pic.twitter.com/sINQdkeS9v
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 1, 2021
Marcus Smart ties the game with this clutch 3#Celtics Rewind presented by @tmobile pic.twitter.com/QQoExrA4R8
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 1, 2021
Andddd the Celtics have tied this thing up. Still more than five minutes left. Just a rush from them to get back in this game.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 1, 2021
It couldn’t all be roses, though:
Thompson gets a tough call on an illegal screen but Brad used his challenge already. #Celtics #Spurs
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) May 1, 2021
https://twitter.com/efraincarmelo/status/1388309282660179971?s=20
HUGE play by Nesmith! pic.twitter.com/0hpe2YrfOK
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 1, 2021
From then on it was back and forth until Tatum’s go-ahead:
JT FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/hPFMsWjmjB
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 1, 2021
And then it was back and forth again until we hit bonus basketball, knottedΒ 128-128.
With 56 points, Jayson Tatum is just four points away from the Celtics single-game scoring record, held by Larry Bird. Celtics still down 137-136 with 31.5 seconds left.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 1, 2021
You could make a documentary on the last 30 seconds of the game alone (well, a short subject at least). The Spurs never went away, but between the big plays by Tatum, Brown and Nesmith, the comeback was real, and it proved once again that the Cs may be best when they’re counted out.
Simply on another level. pic.twitter.com/jI4uuW73hJ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 1, 2021
JAYLEN BROWN KNOCKS IT DOWN pic.twitter.com/tfxPiohFUA
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 1, 2021
The Boston Celtics just completed the seasonβs biggest comeback (32) in OT as Jayson Tatum not only sets his career-high points in a game (60), but ties Larry Bird for the most points scored in one game in franchise history. Take a damn bow.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 1, 2021
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