On March 28, Beijing time, the NBA regular season, the Celtics defeated the Timberwolves 134-112 at home, winning 6 consecutive wins. Tatum continued his outstanding performance on the field, contributing 34 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. With the Celtics winning the game today, Philadelphia losing to the Suns today, and the top 4 in the East changed again, the Celtics relied on a weak record lead and head-to-head advantage with the Heat to successfully reach the top of the East.
The Celtics laid the foundation for a win in the second quarter, and with the help of substitute players, the team played a single quarter of 38-19, gradually widening the point difference. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Celtics had already led the Timberwolves by more than 30 points, and the game lost its suspense completely. In addition to Tatum, Jaylen Brown played equally well today, contributing 31 points, and the two have scored 25+ in six consecutive games at the same time, making them the third pair of teammates in history, the first two teams being Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Tatum's performance after entering March has been very impressive. According to the US media StatMuse statistics, Tatum can average 33.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in March, shooting 53.9%, and in the case of 9.8 three-point shots per game, the three-point shooting rate is as high as 46.6%, and the free throw shooting rate is 91%. Even more surprising is that when Tatum was on the floor, the Celtics achieved a staggering 209 points in aggregate against their opponents this month, which shows his influence on the team. He has been named Player of the Week twice this month.
Keep in mind that in the first 39 games of the season, the Celtics have only achieved a record of 18 wins and 21 losses, and the team has been excluded from the top 8 in the East, and has been hailed as one of the most disappointing teams of the season. But in the next 36 games, they achieved an impressive 29 wins and 7 losses, playing a beautiful turnaround battle. They are the league's first points, defensive league first, and offensive league third during this period, which are important reasons for their rise to the top of the East, and they do not fall behind against any strong team.
With the team reaching the top of the East, combined with his outstanding performance on the field, Tatum also has the capital to impact MVP. He finished No. 4 on last week's MVP list, behind Embiid, Jokic and Alphabet Brother. Over the past two weeks, Tatum has climbed rapidly in the MVP list at a speed visible to the naked eye. Two weeks ago, he was only nominated on the list. With two weeks left in the season, if Tatum can continue his impressive on-field performances and secure the team's top spot in the East, he could be a dark horse in the MVP campaign.
With a fiery performance in the second half, the Celtics became one of the biggest teams to win the championship. According to the latest statistics of the US media FiveThirtyEight, the probability of the Celtics reaching the Finals is as high as 50%, pressing the Bucks in the East by 25%, far exceeding the 13% Philadelphia and 8% Heat. They have a 34% chance of winning the championship, the highest in the league.
All the Celtics' achievements in the second half are inseparable from Tatum's contribution, and he will continue to lead the team to a more ambitious goal.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)