This isn’t Jayson Tatum’s first dance. As a matter of fact, he has led the Boston Celtics to their second NBA Finals appearance in three years.
On Thursday night, Tatum and Co. took care of business at the TD Garden by annihilating the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1, 107-89.
It’s the Celtics who have drawn first blood in this series.
Boston Celtics News: Jayson Tatum Admits to Getting Nervous Ahead of Game 1
Despite being at this stage in the past, Tatum has admitted that he still had to deal with a bit of apprehension heading into the series opener. The five-time All-Star made his confession during his post-game press conference after finishing their Game 1 win with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and a steal:
“It felt great,” he said. “To be honest, I was nervous. I ain’t gonna lie, I was nervous in like an anxious way like a little kid. It’s surreal being in the Finals… Getting back to this point and being here is a really big deal.”
"It felt great… it's surreal being in the Finals… getting back to this point and being here is a really big deal"
JT is happy to be back 🙌 pic.twitter.com/82fID73PIt
— NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2024
Hearing this from Tatum makes it sound like he’s a 30-something veteran who’s been through quite a lot in his career. While the latter might be true, now would be a good time to remind you that this young man is just 26.
As he said, though, Tatum isn’t taking anything for granted. The Celtics failed to defend their Eastern Conference crown last season, and that served as a harsh wake-up call for them.
Now that they’re back, it is clear that Tatum will be doing everything in his power to make sure that they finally get over the hump this time around.
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