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The Boston Celtics began their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with the New York Knicks with two devastating losses as they blew 20-point second-half leads in back-to-back games. While the series shifted to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Boston was able to climb back in the series with a commanding 115-93 victory.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum had somewhat of a bounce back game as he finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals while shooting 8-20 from the field, 5-9 from three-point range and 1-1 from the free-throw line. Following the game, the six-time All-Star addressed the criticism he faced after struggling to begin the series.
"You understand what comes with being that guy. I live a great life, I ain't going to lie. I make a lot of money. I take care of my family. I've been able to experience a lot of things, but you also have to accept what comes with that, right? I get a lot of praise. I get a lot of credit. I get a lot of accolades. But I'm not perfect and there's times where I've needed to play better, I've needed to do more and that's what comes with being that guy. So, just understanding that and people don't just criticize me. There's a lot of people that came before me that they criticized and there's going to be people that come after me that they criticize."
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Tatum added that he plays with a sense of joy. He noted that doesn't look to change that even when things aren't going great. The Celtics star struggled mightily over the first two games of the series.
He averaged 18.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 28.6% from the field, 25.0% from three-point range and 77.8% from the free-throw line. Boston will look to even up the series when the two teams meet in Game 4 on Monday.
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