In the NBA playoffs, effectively communicating with the officials refereeing the game is something of an art form. While it can also be done from the podium more effectively than complaining on the floor, there are ways for players to get their message across in the game that will have a better effect than jawing the ref’s ear off or griping over every slight.
And as with many things he and his Boston Celtics picked up in their last run to the finals, Jayson Tatum has been mastering the finer points of how to put an exclamation point on a missed call without making it personal.
Late in the Celtics’ Game 4 win over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Sunday night, Tatum got hooked by multiple Atlanta players on his way in for a dunk and took a hard fall as a result.
Let’s take a look at some of the best plays captured in images from the Celtics’ Game 4 at the Hawks in the first round of the ’23 playoffs. https://t.co/Cnm1TyOe4P
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 24, 2023
The St. Louis native quickly rose up with fury — but one more diffuse in its target as Tatum stared down the perpetrators while shouting that the referees had better protect him on plays like that.
The strategy had its desired effect, Tatum being awarded a flagrant-1 foul upon review. Asked about the play after the game (via CLNS Media), Tatum revealed that he “wasn’t mad about the flagrant” despite his angry leap up.
“I know I looked like I was,” he explained to laughs, “I got up real quick — I just wanted to scare (Trae Young) him a bit.”
Jayson Tatum included in NBA’s compilation of every 50-point game of 2022-23 https://t.co/IcxXSpmcLJ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 24, 2023
And while, like a good leader, Tatum shouldered the responsibility of Game 3’s loss, he also was quick to point to his teammates for helping secure the Game 4 win and commanding 3-1 series lead.
“It was everybody,” he suggested. “Those guys turned it up, (Derrick) White picking up fullcourt, me, Rob (Williams III), Al (Horford) getting rebounds.
“Everybody was hungry to win — we were determined to leave Atlanta with a win.”
Boston’s offense was firing on all cylinders in Game 4, allowing the Celtics to grab a loud 129-121 road victory in Atlanta. https://t.co/AsjpkSjhim
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 24, 2023
“There were a few times last year,” recounted the Duke alum, “we relaxed after we beat Milwaukee in Game 4, came back, and lost Game 5.”
“We were up 13 in the fourth, and that came back to bite us — we had to win two in a row (to advance). Winning Game 5 in Miami (vs. the Heat) last year, coming back and relaxing a little bit instead of feeling like our backs were against the wall. Lost — we had to go win Game 7. So, we’re not trying to make it tougher on ourselves, not relaxing.”
Instead, per Tatum, the Celtics are “going in there like we’re down 3-1 and we’ve got to win.”
The student is now the teacher, it seems — and at just the right moment, at that.
Have the Hawks found the formula to beat the Celtics, or was this simply a desperate team getting over on a ball club that dropped its guard just enough to be mortal after building a 2-0 series lea… https://t.co/csYpAABLWD
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 22, 2023
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