Tatum ready for familiar bounce-back in Game 2

SAN FRANCISCO — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum stated he is not spending time worrying about his 3-for-17 taking pictures efficiency in Recreation 1, saying it isn’t the primary time he is had a nasty recreation and that he is assured he’ll bounce again in Recreation 2.

“As soon as you have performed one thing earlier than, you know the way to reply,” Tatum stated after Saturday’s follow at Chase Middle forward of Recreation 2 Sunday evening. “I’ve had some unhealthy taking pictures nights within the NBA. So it is like, I have been right here earlier than. I do know what to do subsequent recreation.

“I feel quite a lot of it’s psychological. You do not let it creep into your thoughts. I am unable to do nothing about what occurred final recreation. I missed these pictures and it’s what it’s. It is all about put together and prepare for the subsequent one.”

Tatum has proven he is able to bouncing again all through these playoffs. Twice, Tatum has shot under 33% from the sphere — going 5-for-16 and scoring 19 factors in Recreation 2 of Boston’s first-round sequence with the Brooklyn Nets and going 4-for-19 and scoring 10 factors in Recreation 3 of Boston’s second-round sequence with the Milwaukee Bucks.

He then proceeded to reply with 39 factors in Recreation 3 towards Brooklyn and 30 factors in Recreation 4 towards Milwaukee.

However whereas Tatum struggled together with his shot in Recreation 1, he was proud of the way in which he moved the ball. Tatum’s playmaking has been a storyline all season, because it is likely one of the important areas coach Ime Udoka harassed he needed to see the star ahead enhance upon when he took over the group final summer time.

In Recreation 1, Tatum took what Golden State’s protection gave him to the tune of 13 assists in comparison with simply two turnovers.

“I had extra assists than factors final recreation,” stated Tatum, who scored 12. “So I really feel like I made the appropriate play most of the time. You understand, it isn’t a lot to overthink. I really feel prefer it’s quite a lot of pictures, the open pictures that I miss most of the time that I make.

“So it isn’t one thing that I am shedding sleep over. You understand, we gained. That was most essential, proper. It is the Finals. That is all that issues. Clearly, I do know I’ve received to play higher. I am unable to shoot like that each recreation and hopefully we win. I count on to play higher shooting-wise, however simply impacting the sport in numerous methods to do my half and let’s get a win. I’ll proceed to do this. Simply learn the sport, learn every play. That is how I type of strategy subsequent recreation.”

Golden State has perpetually given up open perimeter seems to be all through the playoffs, as their 130 wide-open 3-pointers allowed are the third-most in any postseason since 2014, per Second Spectrum’s monitoring information, and probably the most by a big margin in these playoffs.

And Tatum took benefit of that again and again all through Recreation 1, together with taking part in an element in Boston hitting 6 3-pointers in its fourth-quarter comeback alone. Tatum stated he believes Golden State is doing nothing totally different from what every other group has performed on this postseason towards him.

“I am sure that they do not need me to only play one-on-one and issues like that,” Tatum stated. “Present a crowd, deliver assist and issues like that.

“I really feel like I did get quite a lot of open seems to be simply from kickouts and issues like that. However I am positive a part of the sport plan, making me a playmaker and never letting me be comfy, it is simply one thing I really feel like each group has roughly been doing all through the playoffs. So it isn’t essentially one thing new.”

However whereas Tatum expects to bounce again, the Celtics are hoping they’ll do one thing they’ve struggled to all through the postseason: deal with prosperity properly. Whereas Boston is now 8-2 on the street in these playoffs, the Celtics have gone 3-5 for the reason that begin of the second spherical towards Milwaukee in video games following a win.

The Celtics have repeatedly stated they should play with the identical urgency after wins that they’ve after losses — one thing Tatum once more stated going into Recreation 2 after Boston’s dramatic fourth quarter comeback in Thursday’s Recreation 1 gave the Celtics a 1-0 lead.

“It was not a lot about me and what I must do,” Tatum stated. “It is about what we have to do and the way we have to be ready, the changes that they’re going to make and the way they’re going to reply. We have to be prepared and never loosen up simply because we’re up 1-0.”