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The Boston Celtics had a golden opportunity to go up 3-1 in the 2022 NBA Finals but Stephen Curry showed why he is one of the all-time greats with a 43 point outburst Friday night.
Former Duke star Jayson Tatum has been widely hailed as a rising superstar and getting to the Finals to an extent validates that.
But winning a title puts you on a different level and Tatum is hearing criticisms that he’s not ready for that step.
And some guys never get there. Reggie Miller was a brilliant player for the Indiana Pacers and clearly had a huge clutch instinct.
Never got there.
Patrick Ewing never got there. Neither did Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Alan Iverson, Pete Maravich or Elgin Baylor (in a cruel twist, Baylor retired just a few games into the 1971-72 season and as soon as he did, the Lakers went on a record 33-game win streak and won the championship. Go figure).
Tatum is young and so is the core of the Celtics. His job right now is to not worry about things like that and just play at his considerable best. And unlike Baylor, he’ll probably have other shots if Boston does fall short this season.
Game Five is Monday night at 9:00 on ABC.
- In very even NBA Finals, these three things will decide if Celtics or Warriors win Game 5
- Finals Notebook: Will fledgling Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum deliver signature moment?
- Here’s what Draymond Green said about Jayson Tatum’s struggles prior to Game 5
- NBA Finals MVP rankings: Steph Curry could win even if Warriors lose; Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown neck and neck
- Hochman: Season in the balance for Celtics, St. Louis native Tatum
- Warriors news: Jayson Tatum shares strong words on Stephen Curry
- Do Celtics need more from Jayson Tatum? Ime Udoka gives thoughtful answer
- The Celtics need Jayson Tatum to save a tied series so many believe they’ve already lost
- Jayson Tatum words on Celtics’ Game 4 loss
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