Jayson Tatum off mark in clutch as Celtics fall to Nuggets (Tim Bontemps, ESPN)
DENVER -- For the second time this week -- and for the second time this season against the Denver Nuggets -- Jayson Tatum had the ball in his hands with a chance to put the Boston Celtics ahead in the closing seconds.
They lost both their regular season games to Denver.
Once again, Tatum didn't take advantage of the opportunity.
With the Celtics down by two, Tatum missed a wide-open corner 3-pointer with 45 seconds to go, capping an ugly performance on what turned out to be Boston's final chance to take the lead. ...
That Boston (48-14) even had a chance to win was remarkable given how listless Tatum was throughout. He finished with 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting to go along with 4 rebounds and 8 assists. In addition to the wide-open missed 3, Tatum had a couple of crucial turnovers in transition in the fourth quarter, made several passive drives to the rim and was generally not as involved as he normally is.
So I looked that up. From Publocc, May 22, 2022, against the "Heat", the ECF they would win against us:
For the Celtics to win this series, Jayson Tatum must show more mental toughness (Boston Globe)
If Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night was any indication, these Celtics still struggle to handle success with care.
The Celtics have demonstrated this season that they’re capable of comebacks and responses when the chips are down…
But the question dogging Tatum…and the Celtics is whether they can deal with the role of the hunted, whether they can display the same resolve, determination, and focus when playing from ahead. The answer in Game 1 was a resounding no.
Tatum is a totem, so you must be concerned about how the Celtics stack up with the Heat in terms of toughness, both physical and mental.
…in the third-quarter 39-14 Heat avalanche that undid the Celtics, Tatum lost the ball and his composure, committing six of the Celtics’ eight turnovers.
…
The Heat got to him...Tatum...shot just 1 for 7 for 8 points in the second half. Psychological warfare was one of the ways Miami upended a more talented Celtics team in the 2020 Eastern Conference finals.
So we "got to him" in 2023 when we beat them in the ECF, in at least Game One in 2022, and in the 2020 ECF.
[By me then: Tonight, Tatum had 10 points in 41’ on 3/14 (1/7) shooting and 6 turnovers.]
The hard-knock Heat and their culture represent a mental hurdle that Tatum and the Celtics have to clear.
…
…Tatum is no longer anybody’s little brother. Udoka told him earlier this season to stop acting that way.
One year and one day later, May 23, 2023:
Beans
coaches, executives and scouts who spoke to Heavy Sports agree on one thing.
They’ve seen it before.
“There is a pattern of behavior that is common here,” said one Eastern Conference coach, “so it’s not so crazy that these guys are struggling to execute down the stretch of games.”
“It’s a pattern,” echoed a league exec. “Last year it seemed like they had two terrible games in every series they played. Now you throw in them losing Game 2 when they weren’t terrible, and this is where you are.
...these patterns have happened with Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka, ...
[Me then: I don't remember Stevens but the scout is absolutely correct; even I "saw" these same issues in the 2022 'loffs.]
...Same types of issues down the stretch of games — sharing the ball, ball movement, just dribbling out the clock, lot of isolation basketball, defensive lapses. All these things have existed for years. The difference between this year and last year is that last year these things didn’t catch up with them fully until The Finals. This year it’s happening a series earlier. Jayson and Jaylen still have room to grow.
[Me then: Bullshit. They are not going to grow out of quitting. They grew into quitting. brown turd is in his seventh season with Beans, Hatem is in his sixth. There is no more room to go. They have outgrown their pot. They don't have what it takes to be champions; they never had it. They're entitled little shits.]
...
The scout went on to point out that Tatum and Brown are well known around the league for playing into opponents’ hands.
"It’s how they’ve been playing for years. ...a team like Miami will force [Tatum] to a bad shot or to give the ball up, and too many times he tries to force it and he makes a bad decision.
...
Celtics weaknesses most loudly include an inability to sustain focus..., as well as a lack of resiliency...when hit hard in crunch time, they are far more likely to fold. That’s not on Mazzulla.
[Me: No, but. It's not all on Mazzulla, it's mostly on the players, but it has been three different coaches, and Stevens drafted these snow flakes and hired JoeFlake.]
...everyone who’s a part of the business knows you don’t win in this league unless you have players who take responsibility,” the coach said.
That is what we say about this entire generation of 20-somethings!
... it means taking the responsibility to make the right play. That’s the kind of thing that gets contagious and leads to wins. Like, man up on defense and take on the challenge.”
“I want to know why a Tatum or Brown isn’t just standing up and saying, ‘I got Butler. I’m going to be all over him.’
"That’s the kind of thing you want to see. I’m frustrated that there’s not more fire.”
That last comment was repeated to a league source, who replied flatly, “Miami stole their heart in Game 3.
[Me: Click on that link: It takes you to G3 LAST SEASON. ...]
Another front office vet believes the Celtics have played a major role in their fall to 0-3 in these Eastern Conference finals.
“This makes no sense — especially for a group of guys that have played well all year,” he said. ...It makes no sense that they could play that well all year and then lose it like this now in this series.