Yahoo article: Jayson Tatum realizes his superstardom when the Celtics needed him most
Jayson Tatum is no longer 19 years old. He is 24, and he has already experienced a lifetime of NBA playoff games for the Boston Celtics, but none so legendary as Friday's performance with his season on the line...
"I could come up here and pout, be sad, and I'm sure there would be a big story about how we're defeated, and I don't believe us," he said. "You can't change what happened. It stinks, for sure, but it's 3-2, and it's the first to four. There's no sense in being sad ... because that's not going to do anything for the next game. Always be optimistic and believe in yourself, believe in the group, that we can win the game on Friday."
So, he did, fully realizing his all-time great potential in a 108-95 win to force Game 7 in Boston on Sunday.
...
Only, Tatum withstood Antetokounmpo's barrage and delivered the knockout. He scored Boston's next 10 points, half of which he delivered with contested jumpers as the shot clock expired, to push the lead back to 95-87. Milwaukee could not get off the mat. Four straight Tatum free throws amped the lead to 13 inside of two minutes and gave him 46 points on the night. The Bucks threw in the towel and pulled their starters.
"You've got to give him credit," said Antetokounmpo. "He played unbelievable. He led his team to a win. He made a lot of tough shots. As a team, we were doing a good job being in front of him, making him shoot contested 3s, contested 2s, but he made them, and you've got to respect that. He played unbelievable."
Only Wilt Chamberlain has scored more points in victory when facing elimination after the first round before his 25th birthday. Chamberlain netted 50 points against Bill Russell's Celtics in Game 5 of the 1960 Eastern Conference finals. He did not match the effort in a Game 6 loss two days later. That is Tatum's assignment in Game 7 against Antetokounmpo's Bucks on Sunday. A title shot and greatness awaits on the other side.
And Tatum is taking his same reassuring attitude home to Boston.
"I'm looking forward to it, truly," he said some 36 hours before tipoff. "Just winning this game and giving ourselves a chance to go back, this is it. It's do or die, and it's going to be fun. This is supposed to be fun. It's basketball. Biggest moments, biggest stage, and when it boils down, I just go out there and have fun."
Tatum went toe to toe with LeBron James as a rookie in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference finals. He scored 50 points opposite Kevin Durant in last season's playoffs and swept his Brooklyn Nets this year. And he just out-dueled Giannis Antetokounmpo in a road elimination game. He has given the three greatest players of their generation all they could handle. Jayson Tatum isn't 19 anymore. He's an NBA superstar.
https://sports.yahoo.com/jayson-tatum-realized-his-superstardom-celtics-bucks-nba-061435510.html