The Celtics have had a lingering problem this season: a lack of competitive spirit along the way.
However, today's game was not like that. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving led the Brooklyn Nets on a visit to TD Garden, the fourth time they've played together this season.
In this campaign, although Durant reached a career score of 25,000 points, Jason Tatum is clearly the better one.
The 24-year-old Green Army leader poured 54 points to beat the Nets led by Durant and Irving. It was the fourth 50-point regular season game of his career, tying green star Larry Bird and tied for first place in team history.
The Celtics have won 14 of their last 16 games, quickly rising to fifth place in the East as a strong contender for the league again.
As a contender, especially in a game like this, when paired with one of the best teams in the league, especially the other side and two of the best players, I believe that this is the moment that every basketball-loving child dreams of, so when these opportunities come, they will try to perform better.
Tatum did it and arguably played the best game of his career. Playing 41 minutes, he shot 16-of-30, including 8-of-15 three-pointers and 14-of-17 from the free throw line, for 54 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. 54 points not only set a new scoring record for the season, but also the second highest score of his career!
After Durant returned to the game, he scored 37 points, although the milestone was a supporting role for Tatum, and Irving also re-dressed after 8 days, scoring 19 points, but every time he touched the ball, he was mercilessly booed by Celtics home fans.
Tatum, on the other hand, compares himself to their score output and scores on every level. Whether it's from the three-point line, or the breakout to the basket to the free throw line, he's perfectly demonstrated his ability to do anything on the offensive end.
As the Green Army's level of competition has improved over the past few weeks, Tatum's level has also risen. Tatum's total of assists has increased with each game during the team's winning streak, and although he only had three assists in the game, teammate Marcus Smart praised Tatum's progress and said he noted that Tatum has played smarter lately, which has translated into team success.
Ahead of today's game, Celtics head coach Iuduka highlighted how difficult it is for his team to block the Brooklyn challenge. What they have to focus on is not the Nets' offense, because their offensive tactics are not so complicated, but the Nets' talent, because they have the best singles in the league, Durant and Irving.
So, the Celtics know they have to win this game by offense. Indeed, they did, thanks to Tatum's continued crazy performance from start to finish. He scored nine, 11, 16 and 18 points in the fourth quarter, plus 9-of-21 three-pointers from the rest of the Celtics.
"We know how tough we can be on the defensive end. When we can match that energy on the offensive end, we become special. After the game, Celtic head coach Uduka said in an interview with the media.
If you turn the clock back two months, it's hard to imagine how much the two teams will change. After all, the Nets were still the first in the East at the time, and the Celtics saw that they were getting farther and farther away from the playoffs, and the team broke out into infighting.
But no one expected that the ups and downs of life were too exciting. From Jan. 22 to before the two teams met, the Nets had a 3-16 win rate of 15.8%, while the Celtics recorded 15 wins and 3 losses in the same period, with a winning percentage of 83.3%.
After the game, the Celtics were already fifth in the East, while the Nets fell out of the top eight to ninth. In addition to this, the Hawks, who are currently in tenth place in the East, have a record of 31-32. Their next game is march 8 away to the Pistons. If they win this game, the team will be overtaken in the rankings, and the Nets will fall to tenth place in the East.
I have to say that the Nets and Lakers, the two teams that shouted the championship at the beginning of the season, are currently ranked ninth in the East and West, which is really difficult!
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