BOSTON — Pro basketball history is littered with all-time greats who earned First Team All-NBA honors but never won squat.
Elgin Baylor. Karl Malone. Charles Barkley. Vince Carter. Patrick Ewing. Reggie Miller. Allen Iverson. Steve Nash. Dominique Wilkins. John Stockton. Dikembe Mutombo. They’re all permanent members of a club that absolutely no one wants to join, a hoop version of Hotel California where you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
Jayson Tatum wants no part of such infamy. As much as Celtics superstar wants to be regarded among the top three of four players in the NBA, he knows what will really cement his all-time legacy, both in Boston and league-wide, will be claiming an 18th championship for the most storied organization in league history.
A monster Mother’s Day Game 7 performance — 51 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists — by Tatum allowed Boston to blow out Philadelphia, 112-88, before a delirious sellout crowd at TD Garden.
Tatum simply went off on the Sixers. With 25 first half points already in his back pocket, he erupted in the third quarter for 17 more as the Celtics turned a three-point halftime lead into a 26-point laugher (85-62). The final 12 minutes were simply for show, as Boston had long since punched its ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami.
That 50-point outing Stephen Curry had exactly two weeks ago, setting a new individual scoring mark for a Game 7? Tatum made that as relevant as a floppy disk. His 51 points were also four better than the 47 that Sam Jones scored for the Celtics 60 years ago against the long forgotten Cincinnati Royals.
And all of this came after three quarters of the worst playoff basketball in his six-year pro career during Game 6 in Philadelphia, where he redeemed himself with four huge fourth quarter shots to push Boston into a Game 7. That performance was, he admitted, “definitely” in the back of his mind.
“We had another opportunity today, and for myself to bounce back, I was happy about that,” Tatum said postgame. “Our season could’ve been over in Game 6, so being able to come back home in front of our fans, I was happy about that.
“Going into Game 6, it sounds crazy to say but I was too locked in. I was too tight, I was too in my own head thinking about the things I have to do (and) how many points I have to score,” he continued. “Today, I was more myself.”
Tatum outscored Philadelphia by himself (35-27) in the stretch between when Boston trailed by nine in the second quarter and the end of the third quarter. His teammates added another 32 points during that 21-minute stretch.
He did so in a multitude of ways, too: driving layups, pullup shots, 3-pointers from the top of the key, the elbows and the corners. Tatum drained floaters, step-backs and shots off the dribble.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum’s ability to ‘problem solve’ and stay even keeled played a giant role in his historic performance.
“He was playing both ends of the floor, he was active on defense, he was physical, he was rebounding, he was communicating,” said the first-year head coach. “If you do that game after game, you’ll get into a rhythm. I saw a well-balanced game.”
Perhaps his best shot came early in the third quarter when he backed his good friend, offseason workout partner and league MVP Joel Embiid into the paint, saw the shot wasn’t there and instead took the big Sixer into the left corner and drained a 3-ball over his outstretched hand, giving the Celtics a 62-55 game.
Many in the crowd chanted ‘MVP! MVP!’ as the visitors called a time out … but it certainly wasn’t for the player that the league recognized as such.
While there was plenty of clock remaining at that point, that shot had the feel of a dagger ending Philadelphia’s sunny days.
Earning the league’s MVP honor, like an All-NBA First Team selection, is something to be proud of; to beef up your basketball resume, as it were.
But does it really matter in the long run?
No. It’s all about winning a championship. That is literally All That Matters — especially if you play for the Boston Celtics.
For the fourth time in his six pro seasons, Tatum is going series away from going to The Finals. He is still looking for his first NBA championship.
Should he finally get it this June, he won’t have to ‘humbly’ consider himself among the league’s best players. He’ll have earned it.
Contact Executive Sports Editor Phil Stacey at pstacey@salemnews.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilStacey_SN
Contact Phil Stacey
@PhilStacey_SN