Give you 5 seconds to think about how jason Tatum should be complimented? Especially when he just slashed 54 points in a single game and then immediately scored 44 points in a single game.
On Wednesday night, local time, when Tatum left the stadium after another dominant performance, fans crowded to the side of the aisle closest to him. He stopped and hugged Lamelo Bauer's father, Raval Ball, and as he continued toward the dressing room, fans screamed and snapped photos with their phones.
And it all happened in Charlotte, hundreds of miles away from Boston.
Really crazy! After scoring 54 points at home against the Brooklyn Nets on March 7, and against the Charlotte Hornets on the 10th, Tatum continued the good touch of the previous game, shooting 16-of-24 from the field, shooting 6-of-9 from three-point range, and scoring 44 points to help the Celtics win 115-101 against the Hornets. The Celtics won four straight and the Hornets suffered two straight losses.
In the last two games, Jason Tatum scored 98 points on 59 percent shooting (32-of-54 shooting), including 14 three-pointers. There are 5 games this season where the score is broken by 40.
Uduka said: "It was crazy to hear everyone shouting during the away game. The Spectrum Center has a large number of Green Army supporters, but Green Army coach Imme Uduka says it goes far beyond that. At the end of the game, the scene of the two teams interacting cordially will give people a deeper understanding of the phrase "Celtic orthodoxy in the Hornets".
In this game, Tatum completely destroyed the Hornets' defense. With 37 seconds left in the third quarter, he made his second solo three-pointer of the game; with 8:27 left in the fourth quarter, he made his fifth three-pointer. One person hit the scoring climax and almost ended the game.
The only thing the Hornets can do is prevent Tatum from cutting 50 points again, after all, the Hornets also want face, and it is a bit embarrassing to be cut 50 points by Irving first and then cut down by 50 points. The Hornets used a defensive strategy that Uduka called "Junk": in the final minutes of the game, the Hornets treated Tatum with a double or triple bag, forcing him to pass the ball out of his hand.
The Hornets were unusually determined not to let Tatum score 50 points, sometimes wrapping Tatum just over the midfield line with the Celtics, and then starting to pinch him directly in the backcourt. Other Celtic players enjoyed themselves in various empty slots, but Tatum was so calm. You'd hardly blame the Hornets, who spent most of their time in the game playing area defense, and could be poison or good medicine.
The Hornets also have their cleverness in defending the Celtics' area, with Uduka telling his players that it's a sign of respect because the Hornets can't just slow them down. The Celtics didn't shoot in some of the first half, but in the second half Tatum led the entire team with a personal attack.
Tatum scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the first half, and he scored in the second half, scoring 28 points on 9-of-12 shooting. "He got the alignment he wanted, he got to the position he wanted, he got the shots he wanted." Uduka said, "When you have a player who can do that, it's a huge luxury. Everyone also depends on him. ”
In his last four games, Tatum averaged 42 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists per game and shot 55.8 percent from the field. Although Tatum's scoring was a central factor in the Celtic revival, when asked by the media why Tatum's team won four in a row, Tatum said: "Defense! Then he stressed again for the first time who didn't catch the point: "Defense! defend! defend! defend! Defense is the key to winning streaks. ”
In the middle of the third quarter, the Hornets hit a 13-2 offensive run and took a three-point lead. Soon after, Uduka fired at the Celtics, demanding that they rediscover themselves and unleash the league's most terrifying and craziest defenses of the moment. Eventually, they did. Uduka said we can't be like the gym that opens the door, they're just there to score points back and forth, and we're going to strengthen our will with defense.
Talking about whether he played with anger after eating a technical foul in this game, Tatum smiled and shook his head, then said: "No. I just talked to my teammates and said we had to win this game. That's exactly what happened. ”
With this victory on the horizon, the Celtics continue their climb to the top of the Eastern Conference and their performances are incredible. Two months ago, the team was struggling with a play-off spot (7-10 places) and now has four games left in the remaining 15 games of the schedule from the first in the East.
They will continue to follow Tatum's command, taking advantage of his fiery touch until they reach the end. But they also understand that this rise has more meaning. In the post-match dressing room, Uduka didn't focus on Tatum's recent explosive scores. Instead, it specifically pointed out how defenders Marcus Smart (12 points, 9 assists) and Derek White (11 points and 8 assists) contributed 17 assists and only 1 turnover.
Uduka said, "That's where we're headed." Against the Hornets, the Celtics totaled 30 assists. The Celtics have had 30 or more assists in 10 games this season, with a record of 9 wins and 1 loss.
Uduka then went on to explain, "You can't expect one person, two people to score. We want to have a selfless team that plays a good and attractive basketball brand, and I think we're doing that. We can pass the ball a few more times and give the player a chance to get an empty seat and that's all you can ask for. ”
It's naturally unusual for a player to score 44 points in a single game, but the Celtics' offense overall maintains a good balance. Six players scored in double figures, with Horford and Robert Williams scraping up 21 rebounds. Meanwhile, the Hornets made 8-of-32 three-pointers and made 16 turnovers. The Hornets under Lamelo Ball could be devastating. So, the Celtics let the Hornets play half-time as much as possible and slow down the pace. The Green Army's strategy proved to be successful most of the time.
Seven days ago, Thomas Jr. signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets. He had 11 minutes of playing time in the game, with 5 points and 2 assists.
After the final whistle, Jaylen Brown, Horford, and Tatum hugged Isaiah Thomas in turn. Rochir stepped forward to greet, high-five, and hug Tatum, still in their Celtic high-fives, and was so skilled that it was painful. Gordon Hayward dressed in civilian clothes, Tatum, Smart, Daniel Theis circled around him, and Horford and Rochelle greeted each other and hugged Hayward again with his injured ankle.
Three Eastern Conference Finals in four years, they have already formed extraordinary feelings and tacit understanding with each other. They stood together like a team.
"Many years ago, when I came to Celtic, Thomas Jr. was one of the main factors I joined. It's my luck to be able to work with him and to be able to witness his all-out efforts firsthand. "Horford is full of respect for his former team-mates.
Meanwhile, Tatum said at a news conference: "I've seen Thomas Jr. perform throughout his career, I have a lot of respect for what he's done and what he's been through, I don't think you can understand him scoring 50 points in the playoffs at 5 feet 9 inches (about 175cm) and that kind of performance, you have to feel special for him." ”