Stay Tuned!

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Jayson Sports Tatum

Jayson Tatum Hyped By NBA Fans for Clutch OT as Celtics Beat Haliburton, Pacers in G1

Jayson Tatum Hyped By NBA Fans for Clutch OT as Celtics Beat Haliburton, Pacers in G1
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVMay 22, 2024

BOSTON, MA - MAY 21: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 21, 2024 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE  (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

It’s not often that the No. 1 seed playing at home steals a win in the Eastern Conference Finals, but that is exactly what happened Tuesday.

The Boston Celtics needed overtime, but they defeated the Indiana Pacers 133-128 in Game 1 at TD Garden. The biggest moments of the game came at the end of regulation when the Pacers blew a golden opportunity to seize momentum in the series with two straight turnovers in the final 30 seconds with a three-point lead.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, they chose not to foul up three in the last 10 seconds and watched Jaylen Brown force overtime with a triple.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

JAYLEN BROWN TIES IT. WE’RE GOING TO OT 🚨

(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/Eodc4d7Kse

LeBron James @KingJames

And yall still wanna know why I would foul up 3 EVERY SINGLE TIME?? 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

The writing was on the wall by overtime, and Jayson Tatum delivered his team the win with an and-1 play and three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to create some much-needed separation.

Tatum finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals and drew plenty of praise from social media in the process:

Robert Griffin III @RGIII

The Jayson Tatum turnover in OT looked like it shifted all the momentum. But then he showed us WHY HE IS HIM. He got it back with an And 1 and then hit them with a side step 3 pointer to extend the lead. THAT’S HOW YOU RESPOND TO ADVERSITY. pic.twitter.com/m9mnTwBnd0

Boston Celtics @celtics

BANG AGAIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ucnc7OWYgU

Shea Serrano @SheaSerrano

tatum and-1 into a tyrese turnover into a tatum 3

an absolutely undeniable OUR GUY IS BETTER THAN YOUR GUY sequence there

Mike Golic Jr @mikegolicjr

Tatum pulled the reverse Batman, lived long enough to become the hero.

StatMuse @statmuse

Jayson Tatum tonight:

36 PTS
12 REB
3 STL

Scored 11 of the Celtics 16 in OT. https://t.co/OXYNRoB0AV

DraftKings @DraftKings

Jayson Tatum in overtime:pic.twitter.com/2jNhp1XaxX

Albert Breer @AlbertBreer

Brown and Tatum pulled that one out when things looked SUPER bleak. That’s what everyone has been waiting for.

Series over.

Kendrick Perkins @KendrickPerkins

There he go https://t.co/LRxQJvX6RU

Boston Diehards @Boston_Diehards

Tatum and Brown making the biggest plays in OT, gotta love it

@JrueUTD

Jayson Tatum when it comes to saving his legacy last secondpic.twitter.com/oMfsBv1s0A

A ✩ @adryanashton

Tatum after we said he was choking pic.twitter.com/EYHfEP8LqH

zeb @zebster114

Tatum came up HUGE in OT pic.twitter.com/hr0qHBvChA

Timothy Legler @LegsESPN

Give Boston all the credit for taking advantage of that turnover late in regulation. Brown forces OT and then Tatum biggest shot of the game in OT. This is going to be hard to recover from for Indy. Tough enough to get 4 wins against this team without giving one away late.

The top-seeded Celtics haven’t truly been challenged in a series these playoffs, and it was fair to expect more of the same in this matchup considering the Pacers benefited from key injuries to the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks in the first two rounds.

Still, Indiana took two of five meetings from Boston this season and entered with plenty of momentum after winning a Game 7 on the road against the Knicks. And it looked up for the fight when it quickly bounced back from the Celtics’ 12-0 run to open the game and tied it by halftime thanks to a deep three from Tyrese Haliburton.

It wasn’t just Haliburton, as Myles Turner was brilliant with a combination of monster slams, spin moves on the blocks, silky smooth perimeter shots and even timely facilitating. Throw in Obi Toppin providing a spark off the bench, and the visitors did not look intimidated.

That was the theme of much of the game, as Boston built a double-digit lead in the second half just for the Pacers to come storming back. Whether it was an acrobatic Haliburton three to end the third quarter, T.J. McConnell directing the show on both ends for stretches, Pascal Siakam scoring and even Andrew Nembhard hitting a clutch shot, everything lined up for Indiana.

And then it completely collapsed.

The decision to not foul can be debated, but it was the back-to-back turnovers in the last 30 seconds of regulation that stand out the most. Even a single point on either of those possessions would have been enough to earn a monumental win on the road and take control of the series.

Instead, all the momentum is on Boston’s side as it looks to defend home-court advantage once again in Thursday’s Game 2.

Read More

Avatar

machotech

About Author

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

Eagles’ Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox Back Nick Sirianni to Continue as HC Despite Rumors
Eagles' Jason Sports

Eagles’ Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox Back Nick Sirianni to Continue as HC Despite Rumors

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 17, 2024 Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni’s job security has been called
Rory McIlroy Pitches Global ‘Champions League’ Format for Golf amid LIV Negotiations
McIlroy Pitches Sports

Rory McIlroy Pitches Global ‘Champions League’ Format for Golf amid LIV Negotiations

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 17, 2024 Luke Walker/Getty Images Rory McIlroy pitched a new vision for the sport of golf