Despite holding a 2-1 series lead in the 2022 NBA Finals just over one week ago, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics saw their championship hopes disappear on Thursday night, as the Golden State Warriors celebrated inside the TD Garden for their fourth title in eight years. When the Celtics took down the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, Tatum was named the series MVP, but the 24-year-old floundered at times against the Dubs.
After averaging 25.0 points and 8.3 rebounds with a 46.2% field goal percentage and 86.0% free throw percentage over the seven-game set against Miami, the former Duke star’s numbers dropped to 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 36.7% from the field and 65.6% against Golden State. On Friday morning, talking heads from the FS1 program “First Things First” debated whether Tatum should be considered a superstar.