On March 28, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, the Celtics beat the Timberwolves 134-112, the first quarter of the game was difficult for both sides to score high, the second quarter of the Celtics played a wave of 38-19 in the single quarter, leading by 23 points at halftime, and then the point difference remained around 20 points, and the Celtics successfully won.
In this game, Tatum's performance was still outstanding, he scored 15 points in the first half, and 17 points in the third quarter, and after the whole game, Tatum played a total of 34 minutes, shooting 12 of 21, 5 of 11 three-pointers, 5 of 5 from the free throw line, and cut 34 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
It is worth mentioning that Tatum's plus-minus in this game is as high as +34, far ahead of smart (+18), the second on the team, and in the 14 minutes of his absence, the Celtics have lost 10 points to the Timberwolves.
Counting this game, Tatum has won 20+ in 19 consecutive games, of which in March, Tatum's performance can be called "hot", he played in a total of 12 games, averaging 33.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, scoring the league first, shooting 53.9%/46.6%/91.0% of the three shots, and shooting 69.1% of the true shooting rate.
What's even more wonderful is that in March, the Celtics' record also reached 11 wins and 1 loss, the first in the league, averaging 15.0 points per game, the same league first, during this period, Tatum's plus-minus was as high as +209, which was also the first in the league, and the second place in the same team was Lowe, which was +129.
So far this season, Tatum can average 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, the eighth in the scoring league, the three shooting rate of 45.0%/35.6%/86.0%, the true shooting rate of 57.7%, it is worth mentioning that Tatum's cumulative positive and negative value is +607, ranking first in the league.
Tatum's performances this season can be said to be completely different:
Before December, he averaged 24.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 50.1% from the field.
After December, he averaged 28.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, shooting 61.0% from the field.
After December, Tatum handed over the MVP level performance, and he ranked fourth in the latest MVP list; but there is no denying that Tatum did pull before December, which is why he can only rank fourth.
In an interview after the game, Tatum was also self-aware: "I wish I had played this way at the beginning of the season, and then I would have been MVP. ”
Speaking of the Celtics, this team is really bad.
Take this game, the Timberwolves in the all-Star after the hot state, the last 16 games won 12 games, the offensive efficiency is the league's second, defensive efficiency league fourth, as a result, the Timberwolves in the second quarter of the single quarter was limited to only 19 points, and the whole game also let the Celtics bomb 134 points.
After winning the Timberwolves, the Celtics' record has reached 47-28, rising to the first place in the East and currently in the top four in the East:
— No. 1 in the East, Celtic, 47 wins and 28 losses
- Second in the East, heat, 47 wins and 28 losses
— Third in the East, Bucks, 46 wins and 28 losses
— Fourth in the East, 76ers, 46 wins and 28 losses
The top four in the East are very close, and the Celtics are not far ahead, but you know, they are only 18-21 in the middle of the season, ranking fifth from the bottom in the East, and they were also considered one of the most disappointing teams in the East at the time.
But since then, the Celtics have behaved:
- The record is 29 wins and 7 losses, the second in the league
- Offensive efficiency 117.8, third in the league
- Defensive efficiency 103.9, league first (second Heat 108.5)
- 13.9 points per 100 rounds, 1st in the league (9.2 points for the second sun)
Therefore, what Tatum said is really not false, if he did not pull his crotch in the first half, the Celtics were as fierce as the second half, then now the "three highs" are not MVP first, but MVP second.
Of course, Tatum is only 24 years old now, MVP is not something he has to get, as far as the second half of the season is concerned, he has proved that he has the possibility of winning MVP in the future, the Celtics are also on the road to the championship, this year's East, must be very interesting.