Celtics looking like contenders for reason that goes way beyond Tatum & Brown

Despite a scare in the fourth quarter, the Boston Celtics walked into Rocket Arena and came away with a 109-98 win over the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here's what stood out:

Whoa, that looks like Jayson Tatum

Obviously, Friday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks was the big Jayson Tatum return game Celtics fans had spent the past 10 months waiting for. The first quarter of Sunday’s matchup in Cleveland, however, was the performance those fans had been looking to see.

Tatum came out on a mission, scoring an early 12 points to help Boston out to a first-quarter lead over the Cavs. He looked as comfortable as ever, and honestly, had his absence not dominated the newscycle all season, it would’ve been impossible to tell that this guy had missed 62 games.

Not only did Tatum score at will during his opening stint, but also showcased the playmaking ability many had been clamoring while he was sidelined. If you need a way to gauge how effective he’s been in that regard, just think about how frequently Derrick White has gotten to dunk the ball in the halfcourt offense since Tatum’s return.

Though the 28-year-old’s scoring cooled off as the afternoon went on, his impact on the game was felt on both ends. It’s nice to see that he’s got his defensive legs underneath him as he gets reacclimated to NBA game speed.

Tatum broke the 20-point mark for the first time this season, contributing three rebounds and two assists on the side.

This was a reminder of how great it is to have both Jays

As Tatum cooled off in the middle quarters, Jaylen Brown picked up right where he’d left off all season long. Not only did he create some necessary offense for Boston, but he shared the wealth once the Cavs decided they needed to sell out on him. 

The Celtics struggled coming out of the halftime break. Cleveland quickly cut their 20-point lead down to 13 before Boston could even score. At that point, Brown had seen enough. He either scored or assisted on the next nine points for the Cs, including two tough stepback jumpers from the elbow.

That offensive boost sparked a strong run from the Celtics to rebuild their advantage back to 26 points.

Brown wound up with 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in the big national TV win for his Celtics.

Shaq should know who Baylor Scheierman is now

Without exaggerating, this may have been Baylor Scheierman’s best game of the season. Mind you, we’re talking about a guy who has worked his way from DNP-CD’s in November to holding down a spot in the starting lineup leading up to Tatum’s return.

The former Creighton standout put up and efficient double-double off the bench for Boston, pouring in 16 points on 6-8 from the field and ripping down 10 rebounds. Not only was efficient, but he made timely plays all afternoon.

We all should’ve known it’d be his day when this driving hook found the bottom of the net in the first quarter.

Despite his 11 points and five rebounds at halftime, Shaquille O’Neal had absolutely no idea who Scheierman was during the halftime edition of Inside the NBA.

Payton Pritchard loves playing in Cleveland

It didn’t quite compare to his 42-point performance at Rocket Arena earlier this year, but Pritchard gave the Celtics a strong 18 points off the bench on Sunday. The weight of those points, however, felt much greater.

The Cavs looked determined to pull of a comeback win in the fourth quarter. They had walked down a 26-point Celtics lead to just eight with about 6:30 to play. It was then that Pritchard scored the first of nine points in the final frame.

Every time Boston needed a bucket, he was more than able to deliver.