Jayson Tatum absolutely carried the Boston Celtics on Friday night, and his coach recognized the achievement.
Tatum scored 50 points in leading the Celtics to a 125-119 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of their first-round series.
Tatum was 16/30 and 13/15 at the free throw line in scoring his 50 points. He was complemented by Marcus Smart’s 23 points on five threes, and Tristan Thompson’s 19-point, 13-rebound effort.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was so impressed with Tatum’s game that he called the Boston All-Star “special.”
Brad Stevens on Jayson Tatum: "He's so advanced for 23 years old. I've said the word special; I don't say that very often obviously. He just has a unique ability to score the ball, slither through screens."
— Souichi Terada (寺田惣一) (@SouichiTerada) May 29, 2021
Tatum averaged a career-high 26.4 points per game in the regular season and is ascending. He had two games in the regular season where he scored more than 50 points. The big highlight was a 60-point game in overtime against the Spurs.
Expecting Tatum to keep scoring 50 points in the playoffs is unrealistic. But he will have to continue being “special” for Boston to advance.
