Boston Celtics: Player grades from C’s dramatic Game 1 win
The Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 in dramatic fashion, winning by a final score of 115-114. Jayson Tatum hit the game-winning layup at the buzzer off a tremendous pass out of a double-team from Marcus Smart, giving Boston the advantage in the series.
For a moment there in the fourth quarter, the situation looked dire. After accumulating a 15-point lead in the prior period, Boston took their foot off the gas and couldn’t hit a shot, ultimately falling behind by five with less than five minutes remaining.
Instead of falling into the Celtics of old, Boston went back to moving the ball and clamping up on the defensive end, executing down the stretch. They finally won a crunch-time game, and it was the most important one of the year.
Despite an incredible performance from Kyrie Irving, the C’s executed well enough late, keeping home-court advantage in the series.
Let’s grade each player that saw the floor.
Boston Celtics player grades – Jayson Tatum: A
Jayson Tatum had an absolute masterclass of a game, finishing with 31 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. He of course had the biggest play of the game, but was excellent for the majority of it, hitting shot after shot in highly contested situations.
He was the primary defender on Kevin Durant, and although the C’s threw tons of different bodies at him, the former MVP had one of the worst playoff performances of his career. He was held to 23 points on 9/24 shooting, with nearly all of that coming in the second half. Tatum had blocks on both Durant and Irving, stepping up to the challenge of defending two of the best offensive players the game has ever seen.
On the offensive end, it took Tatum a little while to get going, with the Nets looking to force the ball out of his hands. However, he understood that and continuously made the correct play for his team, passing to the open man when he was doubled.
At the end of the game, his cut past Durant towards the hoop, combined with his spin move on a dime, was magnificent. Tatum and the C’s overcame their fourth-quarter woes, getting the monkey off their back.
The sole reason why this isn’t an A+ is Tatum’s play in the middle of the final period. He ended up playing the entire second half and was noticeably exhausted on the defensive end. This led to multiple failed switches on the defensive end, allowing Brooklyn back into the game. Coach Ime Udoka should look to get the superstar a rest in the second half in the upcoming games so this trend doesn’t continue.
He played 45 of the 48 minutes on Sunday.