Jayson Tatum had one epic playoff series for the Celtics against the Magic
For much of the first half Tuesday night, it didn't look like the Boston Celtics would be eliminating the Orlando Magic and advancing in the NBA Playoffs. The Magic's suffocating defense stymied Boston's offensive attack, and held the Celtics without a three-point make in the half.
But Orlando was never able to pull away thanks to Jayson Tatum and his bag of tricks. In the second half, he made the Magic disappear with an offensive outburst we've come to expect from Tatum in the playoffs.
Tatum was the exclamation point in a 120-89 blowout at TD Garden, stuffing the stat sheet (and stomping out the Magic) with 35 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. As his line would indicate, Tatum beat the Magic nearly every way imaginable, sending the Celtics to the East semis on their road to a repeat.
Jayson Tatum kept Boston afloat in first half
The Magic and their physicality had the Celtics scrambling for the majority of the first half Tuesday night, especially in the first quarter. The Celtics were sloppy and turned the ball over six times, and Orlando pulled down three offensive rebounds. Those two factors had the Magic take eight more shots than Boston in the opening frame. The Celtics were 0-of-4 from downtown, while the Magic hit four of its 10 attempts from deep.
The Magic built a nine-point lead in the first, but Tatum made sure that hole never got bigger. He missed his first two shots, including a blown layup, but kept things rolling with five assists in the frame. And when he finally got a shot to fall, the points came in a flurry, as Tatum dropped eight points in the final 2:15 of the quarter to make it a four-point game.
The Magic kept trying to pull ahead in the second and were up by six late in the frame before Tatum went on another burst. He put his head down and exploded to the rim on Boston's final two possessions of the half, and his layup and dunk cut Orlando's edge to a very manageable 49-47 at the break.
Tatum went into halftime with 16 points and six assists. He was even more explosive in the second half, lifting Boston to a series-clinching victory.
Jayson Tatum, Celtics dominate Magic in third quarter
Everything started to click for the Celtics in the third quarter. After Paolo Banchero picked up his third foul early in the frame, the Celtics attacked the Magic star. Just over two minutes into the quarter, he was whistled for his fifth foul and had to take a seat on the bench. The Celtics took full advantage of his absence.
Tatum erupted for 13 points in the frame, including Boston's first three at the 10:22 mark. From there, the floodgates opened for everyone, but Tatum was the straw that stirred the drink. He was a perfect 3-of-3 from deep and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. He scored 13 points in the third, pulled down three rebounds, and dished out three more assists.
He matched Orlando's offensive output for the quarter, as the Celtics outscored the Magic 36-13 to take control of the contest. Jaylen Brown scored nine of his 23 points in the third, while Al Horford had five points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
Jayson Tatum got to the free-throw line
The Magic are a big and versatile team on the defense, as we saw in Game 1 when Tatum suffered a severe bone bruise in his wrist after a questionable takedown by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a drive to the hoop. The injury forced Tatum to miss his first-ever playoff game in Game 2, but it did not deter him from going to the basket the rest of the series.
Tatum not only played through contact, he sought it out. He got to the line 41 times in the set, and hit 37 straight from the charity stripe after going 0-of-4 in Game 1.
Good things tend to happen when Tatum goes to the hoop and gets to the line. Wrist injury and the Orlando defense be damned, Tatum made it a point to attack the rim throughout the first round.
Jayson Tatum's incredible series vs. Magic
Tatum only scored 17 points in Boston's Game 1 win, but still ended up averaging 31.3 points per game for the series. After missing Game 2, he went on one heck of a heater for the Celtics, scoring at least 35 points all three games.
In Boston's Game 3 loss in Orlando, he dropped 36 points with nine rebounds and four assists. Tatum was even better a few nights later, when he torched the Magic for 37 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists in Game 4.
He capped off the series with his best overall performance in Game 5, when Tatum flirted with a triple double with 35 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. He hit 10 of his 16 shots overall and went 4-of-5 from downtown. He drained all 11 of his free throws to log his third straight 35-point game for the first time in his postseason career. He's only the second Celtics player have such a flurry in the playoffs, alongside Larry Bird.
After going 8-of-22 in Game 1 and missing Game 2, Tatum was locked the rest of the series. He shot 44.7 percent from the floor and canned 36.4 percent from three. With his Game 5 performance, Tatum became the only player in NBA history to score 30 or more points, hit 10 or more free throws, and go perfect from the free-throw line in three straight postseason contests.
Despite the Magic pulling, tugging, yanking, and swiping at him whenever they had a chance, Tatum kept his cool throughout the series. If he looks more relaxed this postseason, it's because his is, a product of breaking through and winning a title last postseason.
"I said this season was the most relaxed and carefree that I've been in my career, understanding that we won last year and we accomplished the ultimate goal and you kind of got that monkey off your back," Tatum said after the win. "Obviously the goal is still the same this year, to win and compete for a championship, but I've just enjoyed this season of playing carefree basketball and not having that hang over my head. It's been fun to do."
With a ring at home, Tatum is no longer driven to prove his doubters wrong. He's simply focused on adding another ring to his collection.
"I'm not worried about trying to prove anybody wrong or anything like that. Just understanding I know what I'm capable of, I know what we're [capable of] when we play a certain way," he said. "We've shown that. So it's all about getting to that level."
Who do the Celtics play next?
Either the Knicks or the Pistons are up next for Boston, with New York holding a 3-2 lead in that series with Game 6 in Detroit on Thursday night.
Neither of those opponents have the defense the Magic just threw at the Celtics, though the Pistons have the size that could give Boston fits. Tatum absolutely torched the Knicks in the regular season, averaging 33.5 points off 53.5 shooting over four games -- all Boston wins.
Whoever joins the Celtics in the second round, expect another big series from Jayson Tatum as he further cements himself as one of the best players in the NBA. By the time this postseason run is over, Tatum may assume the top spot in the Association.
