The NBA Finals will tip-off on Thursday night between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, and Wednesday afternoon served as media day for both teams ahead of the final series of the NBA season.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been the subject of scrutiny (and in many cases, over-scrutiny) for his play in the postseason thus far. Boston is 12–2 in the playoffs entering the NBA Finals, on the heels of going 64–18 in the regular season. Capping off the historic year with a championship would put the 2023-24 Celtics among some of the best teams of all-time from a statistical standpoint, and Tatum is among those leading the charge.
Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe told Tatum he was the most scrutinized player in the NBA this postseason.
"You think so?" Tatum said with a smile on his face.
Tatum says he's taken the criticism with a grain of salt.
"More so than me, it's my mom, my grandma, family and friends, they're more bothered by [the scrutiny] than me," Tatum said. "... For me, I don't take it personal. It's a long break without NBA basketball. They had to overanalyze every little thing and have something to talk about. Did it get old? Yeah. But it's The Finals. They wouldn't talk about me if I wasn't good. So I try to take some positives out of it, and change the channel."
Jayson Tatum was asked about being one of the most scrutinized players in the NBA.
He smiles, pretends to take a jumper, says “You think so?”
“It’s the Finals. They wouldn’t talk about me if I wasn’t good.” pic.twitter.com/hS9RQoqLVL
Tatum has averaged 26.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 44.2% shooting from the floor in 14 games this postseason, while playing strong defense on the other end of the floor. If there's any fair critique of Tatum's stat line during the playoffs, it resides in his three-point shooting, where he's only converted 29.0% of his attempts on 7.1 tries per game.
Tatum and the Celtics have a chance to put all the criticism aside as they enter the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons. This time, they'll look to end the year by holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
MIKE MCDANIEL
Mike McDaniel is a writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided, and more. Mike hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of his professional life, he is a husband, father, and an avid golfer.
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