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Jayson Tatum had one of worst halves of playoff basketball imaginable

May 7, 2023
by Darryn Albert
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Jayson Tatum puts his hand in the air

May 15, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) celebrates during the second half of their win over the Milwaukee Bucks in game seven of the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

After James Harden went invisible during Game 3 of the Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics series, the first half of Game 4 was Jayson Tatum’s turn.

Tatum had an absolutely miserable first two quarters on Sunday. He missed his first eight shots from the field (including bricking on all three of his tries from long range) before finally hitting a long 2 with less than 30 seconds left in the second quarter. When the dust settled on his first half, Tatum had two points on 1-of-9 shooting and zero free throw attempts. He also committed a turnover and two fouls, posting a -6 in his 20 minutes as Boston fell behind 59-50 at the half.

Here were some of the most savage reactions online to Tatum’s struggles.

That kind of production is obviously not going to cut it if the Celtics are serious about winning an NBA title this year. Tatum is a First Team All-NBA selection who averaged 30.1 points per game this season and is making over $30 million per year. But for a player as supremely talent as Tatum is, he is inexplicably prone to complete duds like this that you wouldn’t otherwise expect from a true NBA superstar.

Tatum can still turn it on in a hurry and is on far more often than he is off. But when Tatum is off, you probably have to shield your eyes (as was the case at times last postseason too).

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