Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum blossomed into a star during the NBA resumption in Orlando last season. There’s a reason Celtics general manager Danny Ainge refused to trade Tatum for the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis in the past. He’s proved Ainge right more often than not.
That did not change during Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday evening. With his team down 120-119 in the final seconds, Tatum went full hero with cape and all.
Talk about a dagger. What an absolutely brilliant (and perhaps lucky) shot from Tatum over Giannis Antetokounmpo right there. He ended up finishing the night with 30 points on 12-of-28 shooting, teaming up with fellow young star Jaylen Brown (33 points) to lead the way.
As for the Bucks, they had a chance to tie the game with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock when two-time reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was fouled. In stunning fashion, the Greek Freak missed the second of his two free throws to cement a 122-121 Celtics win in what has to be considered an instant classic between these two Eastern Conference rivals.
We anticipate these two teams vying for the Eastern Conference title as the 2020-21 NBA season continues. Could Jayson Tatum be the X-factor for his Celtics? It’s more than possible.
Here’s a dude who averaged 25.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists during the Celtics’ run to the conference finals a season ago. Tatum is now a legitimate NBA MVP candidate. He proved that and more Wednesday night against the Bucks.
Fans cooped up in their homes during the pandemic had their eyes on the Celtics-Bucks game Wednesday evening. The reactions to Tatum and his game-winning shot were aplenty.
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