Boston Celtics: 1 stud and 1 dud from C’s demoralizing Game 3 loss

Boston Celtics dud: Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum being the dud performer for Game 3 should come as a surprise to nobody. Tatum is a superstar and, as a result, he needs to be held to superstar standards.

Saturday, he was a shell of himself.

He finished the game with just 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 41 minutes of action. Tatum shot 3-for-14 from the field and turned the ball over six times. In similar fashion to the third quarter of Game 1, his turnovers came as a result of him playing careless basketball.

Most of the damage done to him in this game was self-inflicted and that just can’t happen if the Celtics are to win this series.

His numbers were awful but they truly don’t tell the full story of how much the 3x All-Star struggled in Game 3.

Tatum was passive for the large majority of the game and didn’t step up to take control when Miami was reeling. A Jimmy Butler-less Heat in the second half gave Boston countless opportunities to blow the lid off the game but they never took advantage.

It is unfair to pin that all on Tatum considering the way the game went for Boston, but it is ultimately his job as the team’s best player to set the tone in those situations and he failed to do so when the team needed it most.

A forgettable game to say the least, and one that Tatum would love to have back. Fans should expect to see a bounce-back game from Tatum in Game 4 after being Game 3’s dud performer.