BOSTON — With another disappointing postseason fate facing the Boston Celtics, forward Jayson Tatum stepped up at home in Game Seven with 51 points, adding to his own thrilling playoff career and advancing Boston to the conference finals for the fourth time in his six-year career.
In a Monday edition of the Locked On NBA podcast, host David Locke was joined by Locked On NBA Insider Howard Beck to discuss Tatum’s latest star turn and the opposing Philadelphia 76ers crumbling again.
“You go as far as your great players will take you in this league. Always been the case,” Beck said. “Tatum brought his absolute best when his team needed it most to close out this series, and Harden and Embiid couldn’t match it.”
Tatum was inconsistent and at times played outright poorly all the way through the fourth quarter of Game Six in Philadelphia, when he turned it on and made the winning baskets in that game, followed by his 51 points in Game Seven.
Those 51 points left Tatum with the NBA record for points in a Game Seven, which was last set two weeks prior by Steph Curry in Sacramento.
After a dominant Game Six in Milwaukee last year with 46 points to save Boston’s season, Tatum did it again this year. At age 25, Tatum already has enough playoff brilliance to fill most player’s entire careers.
On the other end of Tatum’s dominant Game Seven were the 76ers, long a rival of Boston’s and a team that Tatum has now beaten three times in his career.
“Every bad stereotype of the Philadelphia 76ers, of James Harden, of Doc Rivers, of Joel Embiid surfaced in like three minutes, and a narrative that is not going to die any time soon,” Locke said.
The Celtics host Game One of the conference finals on Wednesday night at 8:30 ET.