BOSTON — The NBA Finals could have been a coronation of sorts, not only for the Celtics, but their resident superstar.
It could have been an affirmation of Jayson Tatum’s place among the greats in the game, an indelible stamp on the first All-NBA First Team nod of his career.
Instead, we’re all left with an unsettling question: “Where the heck was he?”
In do-or-die Game 6, the only place he made a significant dent in the box score was in the turnover column.
During the 103-90 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Tatum had five of the team’s 23 turnovers, as the Celtics just couldn’t kick their annoying habit of giving the ball away. Moreover, Tatum now owns the NBA record for most turnovers in a single postseason with 100.
With the Celtics playoff lives weighing in the balance, Tatum’s 13-point, five-turnover effort was a killer.
Jaylen Brown came to play and did his best to carry the team and avoid elimination, pouring in 34 points. Al Horford also did his best to will the team to another comeback, with 19 points.
Tatum, meanwhile, took the invisible route, especially in the second half of the Finals-clinching loss to the Warriors.
How bad was it?
Tatum mustered just two points during the final 24 minutes of the game. He went 1 for 8 from the floor. His shooting drought proved deadly to any Celtics hope to extend the series to a Game 7.
Tatum basically had milk carton status in the biggest game of the Celtics improbable run to the championship series.
And this wasn’t a one-game deal. It was representative of too many games in the Finals. In the Game 4 loss, he had 23 points, but shot 8 for 23 from the floor (4 from 8 from distance) with six turnovers.
He didn’t hit 30 points in any of the Finals games. Steph Curry, the Finals MVP, had three 30-point games, and one where he completely buried the Celtics almost by himself with a Herculean 43-point effort.
Yes, Tatum is only 24. And yes, he may have been hampered by a right shoulder problem dating back to Game 3 of the Miami series.
But the shoulder doesn’t explain the turnovers, the poor decision-making, and lack of scoring punch, especially during the critical moments in the game.
It doesn’t explain his ineffectiveness against a team that managed to foil him with more road blocks than he’s used to seeing.
“It’s easy to look back and see all the things you could have done better,” Tatum said following the season-ending loss. “We tried. I know that for a fact.”
The Warriors were essentially hellbent on not letting Tatum beat them. And they pretty much frustrated him at every turn.
What did Celtics head coach Ime Udoka hope Tatum would take away from having the Warriors tame his super powers?
Udoka summed it up by saying Tatum still had to learn and understand who he is as a player, and he should count on other teams treating him just like the Warriors did. In other words, all of this was part of the education of being a superstar.
“You’re an All-Star, All-NBA First Team guy for a reason,” Udoka said of Tatum. “This is only the start of how you’re going to be guarded and the attention you’re going to draw.”
Throughout the season, and in the first few series, Tatum did a good job figuring out how to counter the multiple different coverages used against him. That wasn’t the case against the Warriors.
“This was one a rough one. Very consistent team that did some things to limit him and make others pay,” Udoka said. “For him, it’s just continuing to grow and understand you’re going to see this the rest of your career. This is just a start.
“The growth he showed as a playmaker this year and in certain areas, I think this is the next step for him. Figuring that out, getting to where some of the veterans are that have seen everything and took their lumps early in their careers.”
Tatum was obviously dejected by not only the team losing, but his role in the outcome. He didn’t enjoy having to take some lumps, and wouldn’t use the shoulder as an excuse for his struggles.
When asked specifically if he would need offseason surgery, Tatum said he didn’t think that would be the case. He was also asked if the shoulder impacted his performance in Game 6.
His answer?
“It was just a tough night.”
Indeed, it was. And the Celtics star wasn’t comforted by thoughts of having a bright future, using this as a learning experience, and possibly a motivator going forward. That didn’t take the sting of losing his first NBA Finals away.
Tatum, who sat with his arms folded, and head down for most of his post-game presser, seemed inconsolable.
“You know, we all could have done things better. I feel like I could have done a lot of things better,” he said. “But, you know, like we said, we competed, we tried all season, all playoffs.”
Udoka, however, didn’t seem worried about his star going forward. He’ll get past this. And he’s expecting Tatum to rebound with a vengeance.
“Like I said, very motivated guy that works extremely hard, high IQ, intelligent guy that will learn from this and figure it out,” said the Celtics head coach. “I think it will propel him to go forward, definitely motivate him.”
The hope is, the narrative will change. The hope is Tatum will grow, be better the next time around, and play more consistently like a superstar — if there is a next time.
The concern is Tatum might not have what it takes to completely assume the role. The good news is there’s still time for Tatum to ultimately be that guy.
He just knows this was an opportunity missed, being two wins away. After going up 2-1 in the series, the Warriors experience in championship games took over.
Tatum & Co. were hard-pressed to combat that.
“It’s hard. It’s hard getting to this point. It’s even harder getting over it, the hump, and win it. It’s been a long journey, a long process,” he said. “That’s what I took from it: it’s tough. You got to take it up another level to do what we want to do.”
He’s right. And Tatum has to be the one taking the lead, something he wasn’t able or ready to do against the Warriors.
