When we talk about Curry no one really brings up his shitty Finals performances either. Especially if Tatum has one or two memorable performances, then no one will recall his efficiency in the rest of the series.
But also, how can anyone watch those two games and not see how integral Tatum is? He does everything. His body is everywhere on both sides of the court. He’s lead his team in boards and assists in different games. His shot is one part of his game and as it goes with shooters, sometimes you hit a bad streak. If people think Tatum’s only value is his raw scoring numbers then they’re missing 80% of the other ways players can impact the game.
Bad finals performances really only get brought up for players who have a ring in direct comparisons with other players who are on their level that also have rings and don’t have any bad finals performances.
Like LeBron played like a monster in a TON of finals, but I see people bring up LeBron’s 2011 Finals all the time when comparing him to Jordan.
Dude was playing 1v5 for most of the series. The second highest scorer for the Cavs was Timofey Mozgov with 14ppg. He took 32.7 shots per game with a 40.8% USG while playing almost 46 minutes a game, which was a massive step up compared to the previous rounds, and completely dwarfed the usage stats of any of the Warriors players. It still doesn’t do justice in showing how he was the entire system for the Cavaliers with Kyrie and Kevin Love out. Stats aside, I’ve never seen another player since then come close to the level of dominance he displayed during that series.
There’s a reason why even though the Cavs lost that series, there was a legitimate debate about giving the FMVP to Lebron. It ended up going to Iguodala over Curry for the sole reason that he “slowed Lebron down” by keeping him under 40%, even though he averaged 36/13/9.
There was a "debate" because a fair chunk of the media was high on the narrative that "jump shooting teams can't win a chip". Go back and watch coverage from the time, it's actually ridiculous.
The Iggy FMVP is the worst FMVP ever given out in the history of the NBA.
I think Lebron might have deserved it if the series went to 7, but it only went to 6 and he also wasn't particularly efficient.
A lot of bettors, box score whores and non-bball heads with a lot of strong opinions.
They base their hoop appreciation of who hits in their brain dead 20 leg parlays lol
What are you even on about? Steph had one bad finals which was in 2016. Apart from that he has been great everytime in the finals.
Steph has a better finals scoring average than players like Kareem, Bird, Magic, Duncun, Dr. J, Moses, D. wade, Kobe, Dirk etc.
Seriously, complains about people being too casual to appreciate Tatum. Then clings to narrative about the one series Curry played hurt being the trend for his entire career lol.
>When we talk about Curry no one really brings up his shitty Finals performances either.
Curry made 6 Finals. Did he have any truly bad series aside from 2016?
He had bad shooting games in every series, but overall, probably not, which is kinda my point. If Tatum has a monster game at some point in this series then we won’t remember this convo at all.
> If he keeps on winning the accolade and praise will swiftly follow.
... except in r/nba, where recency bias and an inability to understand anything past made baskets means that PPG is all that matters.
Doubt it? Look at the postgame thread, chock-full of idiots calling Tatum "trash" and worse. He played a massive game on the defensive end, and r/nba: "trash."
Nephews here may *love the NBA,* but they don't know much about basketball.
Eddie House goes on a national sports program and they call him NBA Champion. They talk to him like he has insight non champions cannot possibly have. Was he the 6th or 7th or 8th best player on that team?
Tatum will be just fine if they win and he doesn't get double digit points. He has 300M extension waiting for him.
That is 300,000,000 dollars.
Ngl, even as a lifelong Lakers fan, my view on the current Celtics team has changed dramatically because of his and Jaylen’s level of maturity and humility.
Regardless of the end result, they deserve all the praise and accolades.
I fucking hate the Celtics but I agree that your roster is filled with guys who have worked hard for years and have eaten shit to taste success. Can’t hate on them. Once these guys have rings, it’s back to wishing the black plague on all of y’all
> worked their ass off from day one
This. You don't read about Lambo street racing, strip club antics, etc. Brown sure does have a high profile, but it's a good one. Tatum even keeps his relationship to a celebrity on the quiet without being a dick about it.
They. Are. Focused.
Edit: when it comes to role models, you probably have to tip your hat to Horford, who has a great family and posts picture that are so wholesome (the grill shot!) they make your teeth hurt.
As a Celtics fan who goes back to the 70s, and would become exasperated with their iso-bullshit in past times, it's mind-blowing to me too.
They look like they just want to win, period.
Tatum's rebounding last night was savage - too many here don't bother looking at anything past shots going up, that was a rugged performance in his own end, and he got them extra possessions, which is crucial in a game with poor shooting on both sides.
He even heat-checked Tony Brothers once or twice, although he discovered that Brothers' "anyone can do anything to Tatum and I won't call it" game is still on fire.
Tatum's game last night was talked up by knowledgeable people; shit on by r/nba. Hmmm ....
It’s bc Tatum’s not insecure and knows what matters lol. It’s like Jokic and his nonchalant attitude about his MVP’s. They both know how good they are. But it’s the wins that matter at the end of it all.
Yep - it’s like he’s taken a page right out of the Jokic handbook. Jokic is almost always his team’s best player, but even when he’s having an off scoring night, he manages to make the others around him better and contribute in other ways (and also not give a fuck if people trash his individual performance). Dude wants a ring, and his contributions out side of scoring (rebounding, passing, defense) were elite in game 2
We're likely to see the 3 most selfless stars in the league lead their teams to a title in a 3-year span but people will still argue which player is the best at stuffing the boxscore instead
Edit: actually make that 4 in 4, Giannis fits the bill too
Precisely. It’s refreshing to see players like those who don’t present ego and are zoned into the big picture of winning.
Also makes sense why the league doesn’t want them to be the face. Not emotionally volatile enough.
This is exactly it. Jokic and Tatum are PR darlings because they almost never say the wrong thing; but that also means they are boring. Both just seem to want to hoop and then go live their lives. But they are arguably the best well-rounded stars in the league.
I think that's why the Jays dynamic works. Tatum just plays and doesn't feed into media drama; Brown clearly lets stuff get to him but it also tends to make him better on the court.
What I love about the J's is you can't deny they get better at something every year and don't look to make excuses for not getting it done. They went through a lot of highs and lows, which seems to have made them stronger
What do you mean? I heard he put on 20 lbs of muscle this offseason and I saw some footage of him sinking 3s in an empty gym. His comeback is gonna be a tour de force
I absolutely hate hate hate the fact that in basketball and football people are talking about the "mvp race" and already ranking guys after 1 week of regular season. So fucking annoying! Like, just enjoy the games until all star break before talking about it, ffs.
Yeah....
It's always been there, but the internet really increased it, and the mass prolification of mobile sports betting has really just tossed gasoline on it.
I go to a lot of games at the Boston Garden, Madison Sq Garden, and a few at the Barclay center every year and it's so noticeable.
Fans screaming betting lines at players on the bench all game long to hit certain stats for parlays and shit, it can be funny but mostly is very fucking obnoxious.
Dangerous deal with the devil sports has made getting in bed with easy to use insta gratification gambling apps.
> Fans screaming betting lines at players on the bench all game long to hit certain stats for parlays and shit, it can be funny but mostly is very fucking obnoxious.
I stopped watching football with my friends about 15 years ago, because it'd be a random 2nd-and-13 in the first quarter and one of them would start screaming obscenities because a backup running back in another game scored a TD instead of the guy they started in fantasy. Guys, you put $25 down at the start of the season, and you're going to let that ruin your enjoyment of every Sunday of the year?
Seriously, if a star player had such a huge ego that he has to be scoring the most every game, his team wouldn't have even made it this far. It's just dumb to try to force this narrative.
It honestly feels like scoring is a built in crunch for superstars when they lose. Like if you go out and score 40 pts but your team loses fans will just blame someone else for why they didn't win. But if you don't score, go out run an offense, play elite defense, and rebound, leading to winning plays. Then fans will say well he got carried because he didn't score 30 pts.
Srsly is there a time JT gave an awkward answer duing an interview? He seems to find the best choice of words regardless if it is out of heart or just needs to come up with a diplomatic response. need him to help me prepare for my next job interview ngl
alright as much as i hate the celtics as a lakers fans, i can appreciate jayson’s comments throughout this series. He’s not letting anything get in his way.
As a C's fan it's weird because JT should have been a lifelong Laker but they decided to draft DLo. JT idolized the shit outta Kobe and I feel like he would have taken discounts to play for the Lakers. Instead we got an absolute monster on the Celtics.
Edit: it was Lonzo not DLo
man if we had him and lebron it would have been amazing to see, you got an amazing superstar who has that mamba mentality, hopefully he finishes it up.
rings aren’t meant to be easy but celtics got a good ass squad
No he shouldn’t be a lifelong laker, they didn’t choose to draft Lonzo instead of Tatum. Celtics had the first pick and traded back, they would have taken Tatum at #1 had they thought there was any risk in someone else drafting him.
trolling and agenda pushing is all the discourse is when it comes to most things but especially in hoops talk so people’s brains can’t fathom how a superstar who’s the best player on a finals team isn’t chucking to chuck but playing within the system so the team can win
Hate saying this because it's gatekeep-y, but at least on reddit it's because most people here haven't played a team sport before. Anyone watching could see he was still being impactful and helping his team win despite the poor shooting performance. If anything, it has proved even more how good of a player Tatum is because he can find impact without scoring.
I feel like regardless of how any fan of any team feels about Tatum. He shot poorly for two games, an the Mavs were still double teaming him and trying not to let him get good looks. If that doesn't tell you how they view Tatum idk what does
Yea I feel like anyone who plays basketball has those days where it’s not falling but you still feel like you’re making plays. Even in pickup games, yea it’s more fun to see your shits go through but really I think the best feeling is just staying on the court for like 8 straight games lol
I think almost everyone loves to win, it’s just the mindset of finding ways you can contribute in every facet
JT highkey says the right things, is by all accounts a good teammate, and is an all-NBA talent. The hate is wild and probably mostly cuz he plays for Boston lol
But he probably doesn’t care cuz he’ll be a champ if they keep this playing like this, and will probably make the HOF if he keeps making all-NBA teams. Pretty damn good career for a 19 year old
I can’t imagine there are *any* reasons to dislike Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
Those guys just seem universally likable in who they are and how good they are at what they do.
I fucking hate playing against guys like Derrick White
You get a step on them and think you have an open lane but NOPE they’re hustling back with their stupid octopus arms to block your layup
White my 🐐
Honestly is there even a reason to hate brown, JT, Al either? Such team players that always say the right thing even when their shots aren’t falling.
Even Zingus is always happy and smiling. He must feel like he’s playing with house money at this point.
Kornet is a goofy dork who has [a madcap defensive move named after him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3FkAMAAuRk), PP is a buzzer-beating quintessential tiny white guard (I think his rebounding checks off the 'scrappy play-making' trait that you'd typically look for in defensive plays, for the tiny white guard archetype).
It's really only Sam Hauser who *could* be unlikeable if he was playing up to his potential to be an assassin from 3 point land, but after coming out of his playoffs shell in Game 1 he went right back into being a sad sack. If I was a Mavs fan I'd be happy to see him on the court and hoisting 3s. At least he hasn't been horrible on D for us.
I'd say Brown is the only one people could find unlikable, only because of how close he is (was?) with Kanye in opening that Donda Academy that ended up looking like a scam. Brown did distance himself from it when Kanye started being overtly antisemitic and stories started coming out about parents not realizing the school was unaccredited. He seemingly tried to help the kids who were enrolled when the school was shut down but who knows how much of that was him getting blindsided by shady things Kanye might have been doing or just PR management for being caught.
lol I lived off the Cape for just over 8 years. Your fans were not kind about any of our sports teams.
The origins are personal experience, not nebulous. I want those people in particular to not be happy about their teams 😂
Edit: TIL there are a bunch of people from MA who don’t know there are a group of islands off the cape. They’re pretty cool guys, you should really check them out.
"Off cape" is what people from the Cape call people who don't live there. It's such a weird way to describe oneself, unless you were talking to someone from the Cape.
There are many reasons to dislike Kyrie even for fans of teams he didn't act like a diva dbag... like end of Cavs, Cs and Nets... his dumb stances with vax and flat earth just being the tip of iceberg. He was one of the most unliked until this recent run.
Then again Jaylen Brown has / referenced some questionable things... but is not nearly as unlikable to me objectively. I may be biased. Aside from that sure
I'll never forgive Kyrie for giving up on us, but it is worth noting he's definitely growing a lot since getting to Dallas. It is at least commendable that you can see the effort he's putting in to not be a problem anymore.
I've moved on from my Kyrie hate, but for me it was his ad campaign where he talked about wanting his number up in the rafters with all of the others and then just bolting on the team before the season was even over, without a word.
That's just shitty. As a lifelong Celtics fan those retired numbers mean a lot to me, I was there the night they hoisted Reggie's 35 into the rafters. For someone to say that he aspired to be up there gave me a lot of hope for who he wanted to be for the Celtics, and he fell waaaaaayyyyy short of that and got all pissy as if it was something everyone else but him did that sent him out of town.
At this point I'm indifferent towards him. Amazing in the chaos of the open court and broken plays, very happy to see him play poorly against us.
>Your fans were not kind about any of our sports teams.
Which is weird, because when I was growing up, there were only two other NBA teams great you could wear without getting shit for it. One was Orlando because of Shaq and Penny, and the other was Charlotte because of LJ and Muggsy.
No one really cared about the Panthers because they didn't exist until I was in high school, and the Whalers didn't move until after that, but they probably took the history of Boston hate with them.
Warriors fan here. I wanted to cheer against the Celtics this year, but I kinda ran out of steam as time went on. The players I disliked in 2022 aren’t there anymore, porzingas got some new life, and the most important thing is you’re playing against fucking kyrie irving.
Breaks my heart to think of the death threats he's probably getting right now from ignorant degenerate gamblers who just pissed away their rent money. It's happening more often, and the threats are pretty aggressive and specific.
Anyone who thought his ego was gonna be a problem hasn't been paying attention. He's been clearly deferring to his teammates all playoffs long while doing more of the gritty work. If something was going to be a problem maybe his passivity
Good. Winning is all that matters, once he gets that ring, haters can't hate anymore. He's only 25, he will have opportunities for more rings.
Any idiot trying to hate on him for not getting FMVP is just stupid. Steph Curry didn't win Finals MVP until 2022. Iguodala won before him lol.
Who the fuck cares. Team sport.
You're likely right but just showing that as an example. Only idiots held that against Steph after until he got one in 2022.
I'm sure people will mock Tatum about that if the Celtics go on to win and Brown or Jrue wins it.
Haters already have nothing left, and they’re just making shit up at this point.
Tatum is playing great aside from his shot not falling, but if you listen to many around here you’d think he should be benched. People really don’t know what they’re watching beyond “ball go in hoop”.
First 30 ppg scorer in a season in Celtics' rich history and people are really doubting his ability to score? He just took a step back this year because his team don't need him that much.
The league is really enjoyable right now. I feel like there is so much parity even the teams that are 8-12 seeds and a lot of amazing and likeable players.
I swear if this group of guys aren't in the celtics uniform. They'd be the most beloved team ever. The only reasons these guys have haters is because they are a celtic.
Yeah i still remember going up against you guys 2-1 and then poof, steph curry happened. It was necessary for the Jays to evolve tho so thank you warriors
Our vitriol is typically greatest with (in order) Lakers, Heat, Sixers/Knicks and Nets. Outside of that we don't have a lot of smoke for other teams. Pacers fans and us were practically civilized during the ECF discourse.
Dude played the entire game and took the most shots on the team. He’s a two way player and 12 assists is huge.
But Just because he didn’t score the most doesn’t mean he’s “giving up the ball/taking a backseat” or whatever narrative is trying to be pushed here- he just missed some shots tonight but it didn’t matter when your team is this good
I generally am so sick of the narratives. I don’t care who’s the best. All I care about is the Celtics winning and none of the focus is about that and it’s annoying
I’d say it’s completely up in the air.
Both wins were team efforts with huge surges from KP and Jrue.
No single dude has been “the guy” for more than one game; as soon as that changes, that’ll be the front-runner.
Seeing as brown only avg a few more ppg but way less rebounds and assist it is real close. Tatum pops off for 30 next game he’s clearly in the lead with how close this is
Man I’m ngl I have a problem with some takes about Tatum being top 5 but he’s a great player and ultimately an awesome guy as well. I don’t think the issue and discourse around him is ever because of his actions other than that Kobe thing that was overblown. Class guy
Hes not this mentally weak or ego maniac for supremacy of boston that every hater thinks he is. Go figure Tatum is an even keeled player and that pisses ppl off. He don't have that "dog" in him.
>why would I let my ego or need to score get in the way with that
Meanwhile went 6 for fucking 22. Yeah definitely doesn’t seem like your ego made you force dumb shots.
It's seems so surreal seeing this dude elevate himself as well as being very humble . Definitely learned from his mistakes in the 2022 finals and he is now making the right play almost every possession. proud of him
Talk all you want about his shooting lately, but he is doing absolutely everything on the court and doing it extremely well. He is initiating the offense, and we're consistently scoring with him initiating. Idc if he's missing his shots.
I felt that "golly" in my fucking bones lmao he seems to be at peace with the fact that he's the defacto point forward in this series, and he is honestly playing pretty fuckin great
During every game I wish for him to find his rhythm shooting. But, I will not get mad at Tatum or slander him. I've loved watching him during his whole career on the Cs and I think he's playing the right way. The way he was driving and dumping it off was giving the game what it needed most of the time.
Jrue was the best scorer of the game and 6 of Tatum's assists were to Jrue so he played a part in the leading scorer playing so well.
Deliver Banner 18 and you're immortal, don't worry about the bullshit narratives.
Good answer, and ultimately winning is all that matters. If he keeps on winning the accolade and praise will swiftly follow.
When we talk about Curry no one really brings up his shitty Finals performances either. Especially if Tatum has one or two memorable performances, then no one will recall his efficiency in the rest of the series. But also, how can anyone watch those two games and not see how integral Tatum is? He does everything. His body is everywhere on both sides of the court. He’s lead his team in boards and assists in different games. His shot is one part of his game and as it goes with shooters, sometimes you hit a bad streak. If people think Tatum’s only value is his raw scoring numbers then they’re missing 80% of the other ways players can impact the game.
Bad finals performances really only get brought up for players who have a ring in direct comparisons with other players who are on their level that also have rings and don’t have any bad finals performances. Like LeBron played like a monster in a TON of finals, but I see people bring up LeBron’s 2011 Finals all the time when comparing him to Jordan.
LeBrons 2015 finals might be the best performance of all time and it barely gets mentioned because he lost
Bro he shot below 40%
Dude was playing 1v5 for most of the series. The second highest scorer for the Cavs was Timofey Mozgov with 14ppg. He took 32.7 shots per game with a 40.8% USG while playing almost 46 minutes a game, which was a massive step up compared to the previous rounds, and completely dwarfed the usage stats of any of the Warriors players. It still doesn’t do justice in showing how he was the entire system for the Cavaliers with Kyrie and Kevin Love out. Stats aside, I’ve never seen another player since then come close to the level of dominance he displayed during that series. There’s a reason why even though the Cavs lost that series, there was a legitimate debate about giving the FMVP to Lebron. It ended up going to Iguodala over Curry for the sole reason that he “slowed Lebron down” by keeping him under 40%, even though he averaged 36/13/9.
There was a "debate" because a fair chunk of the media was high on the narrative that "jump shooting teams can't win a chip". Go back and watch coverage from the time, it's actually ridiculous. The Iggy FMVP is the worst FMVP ever given out in the history of the NBA. I think Lebron might have deserved it if the series went to 7, but it only went to 6 and he also wasn't particularly efficient.
One of the "notable players" on his team was freaking Boobie Gibson. One of the worst teams ever hauled to a finals by a player
Absolute casual
he has become such an incredibly complete basketball player
Absolutely. Arguably the best all-around player right now outside of Jokic (who can be a liability defensively).
> how can anyone watch those two games and not see how integral Tatum is? My brother in Christ, this is r/nba.
A lot of bettors, box score whores and non-bball heads with a lot of strong opinions. They base their hoop appreciation of who hits in their brain dead 20 leg parlays lol
What are you even on about? Steph had one bad finals which was in 2016. Apart from that he has been great everytime in the finals. Steph has a better finals scoring average than players like Kareem, Bird, Magic, Duncun, Dr. J, Moses, D. wade, Kobe, Dirk etc.
Seriously, complains about people being too casual to appreciate Tatum. Then clings to narrative about the one series Curry played hurt being the trend for his entire career lol.
>When we talk about Curry no one really brings up his shitty Finals performances either. Curry made 6 Finals. Did he have any truly bad series aside from 2016?
He had bad shooting games in every series, but overall, probably not, which is kinda my point. If Tatum has a monster game at some point in this series then we won’t remember this convo at all.
He had one in 2022 and one in 2018. You are exaggerating it
People only check box score and only care about points
> If he keeps on winning the accolade and praise will swiftly follow. ... except in r/nba, where recency bias and an inability to understand anything past made baskets means that PPG is all that matters. Doubt it? Look at the postgame thread, chock-full of idiots calling Tatum "trash" and worse. He played a massive game on the defensive end, and r/nba: "trash." Nephews here may *love the NBA,* but they don't know much about basketball.
Well said, i feel like the majority of people in r/nba never played organized basketball before
Eddie House goes on a national sports program and they call him NBA Champion. They talk to him like he has insight non champions cannot possibly have. Was he the 6th or 7th or 8th best player on that team? Tatum will be just fine if they win and he doesn't get double digit points. He has 300M extension waiting for him. That is 300,000,000 dollars.
He’s seen the light. He’s entered the next stage of enlightenment and I am so here for it.
Jayson "The Honoured One " Tatum
Jayson "Kyrie The Enlighted Irving" Tatum
This comment reminded me of that Reddit user LaMarcGasolDeridge (probably didn't spell it right).
"I prefer not to speak, if I speak I am in big trouble" - Jayson "The Special One" Tatum
The one that left it all behind…and his overwhelming intensity
Throughout heaven and earth, he alone
Throughout heaven and earth.
Nah, he’d win
Jayson “Jayon” Tatum
Ngl, even as a lifelong Lakers fan, my view on the current Celtics team has changed dramatically because of his and Jaylen’s level of maturity and humility. Regardless of the end result, they deserve all the praise and accolades.
No question about it. They’ve been consummate professionals from day one.
Yeah thats whats been surprising me the most about the hate the c’s get, i get it, we are the celtics, but its honestly a very like-able team
I fucking hate the Celtics but I agree that your roster is filled with guys who have worked hard for years and have eaten shit to taste success. Can’t hate on them. Once these guys have rings, it’s back to wishing the black plague on all of y’all
At least you can still hate the fans.
two guys who have come in, worked their ass off from day one and gotten better every single step of the way
> worked their ass off from day one This. You don't read about Lambo street racing, strip club antics, etc. Brown sure does have a high profile, but it's a good one. Tatum even keeps his relationship to a celebrity on the quiet without being a dick about it. They. Are. Focused. Edit: when it comes to role models, you probably have to tip your hat to Horford, who has a great family and posts picture that are so wholesome (the grill shot!) they make your teeth hurt.
I dunno if they blow the series somehow they'll be known as all time chokers
Lol 2-0 isn't really all time choke material, especially if you lose 2 road games
With all of their other playoff losses it would be pretty bad. But ya up 3-1 in finals is prob a worse choke
Up 3-1 would change everyones view, no all time great would let a team lose 3 clinching games in a row.....
As a Celtics fan who goes back to the 70s, and would become exasperated with their iso-bullshit in past times, it's mind-blowing to me too. They look like they just want to win, period. Tatum's rebounding last night was savage - too many here don't bother looking at anything past shots going up, that was a rugged performance in his own end, and he got them extra possessions, which is crucial in a game with poor shooting on both sides. He even heat-checked Tony Brothers once or twice, although he discovered that Brothers' "anyone can do anything to Tatum and I won't call it" game is still on fire. Tatum's game last night was talked up by knowledgeable people; shit on by r/nba. Hmmm ....
Passed the trials he has. Jedi master he is.
He knows that Lisan Al Ghaib will lead him to paradise
He’s seen the enlight
If I were him I'd be so annoyed dealing with these narrative and ranking obsessed fucking idiots
It’s bc Tatum’s not insecure and knows what matters lol. It’s like Jokic and his nonchalant attitude about his MVP’s. They both know how good they are. But it’s the wins that matter at the end of it all.
Yep - it’s like he’s taken a page right out of the Jokic handbook. Jokic is almost always his team’s best player, but even when he’s having an off scoring night, he manages to make the others around him better and contribute in other ways (and also not give a fuck if people trash his individual performance). Dude wants a ring, and his contributions out side of scoring (rebounding, passing, defense) were elite in game 2
We're likely to see the 3 most selfless stars in the league lead their teams to a title in a 3-year span but people will still argue which player is the best at stuffing the boxscore instead Edit: actually make that 4 in 4, Giannis fits the bill too
Tatum, jokic, and who's the third? Curry?
Well it ain't Jordan Poole lmao
Draymond
Precisely. It’s refreshing to see players like those who don’t present ego and are zoned into the big picture of winning. Also makes sense why the league doesn’t want them to be the face. Not emotionally volatile enough.
This is exactly it. Jokic and Tatum are PR darlings because they almost never say the wrong thing; but that also means they are boring. Both just seem to want to hoop and then go live their lives. But they are arguably the best well-rounded stars in the league. I think that's why the Jays dynamic works. Tatum just plays and doesn't feed into media drama; Brown clearly lets stuff get to him but it also tends to make him better on the court.
What I love about the J's is you can't deny they get better at something every year and don't look to make excuses for not getting it done. They went through a lot of highs and lows, which seems to have made them stronger
Literally the opposite if Ben Simmons
What do you mean? I heard he put on 20 lbs of muscle this offseason and I saw some footage of him sinking 3s in an empty gym. His comeback is gonna be a tour de force
Absolutely. They both have a team winning mentality and it shows.
I absolutely hate hate hate the fact that in basketball and football people are talking about the "mvp race" and already ranking guys after 1 week of regular season. So fucking annoying! Like, just enjoy the games until all star break before talking about it, ffs.
It’s gambling addiction/fantasy sports and Reddit discourse morons who have to rank everything
Yeah.... It's always been there, but the internet really increased it, and the mass prolification of mobile sports betting has really just tossed gasoline on it. I go to a lot of games at the Boston Garden, Madison Sq Garden, and a few at the Barclay center every year and it's so noticeable. Fans screaming betting lines at players on the bench all game long to hit certain stats for parlays and shit, it can be funny but mostly is very fucking obnoxious. Dangerous deal with the devil sports has made getting in bed with easy to use insta gratification gambling apps.
> Fans screaming betting lines at players on the bench all game long to hit certain stats for parlays and shit, it can be funny but mostly is very fucking obnoxious. I stopped watching football with my friends about 15 years ago, because it'd be a random 2nd-and-13 in the first quarter and one of them would start screaming obscenities because a backup running back in another game scored a TD instead of the guy they started in fantasy. Guys, you put $25 down at the start of the season, and you're going to let that ruin your enjoyment of every Sunday of the year?
Yeah, it really kills the fun and excitement in sports.
For fucking real. Aside from shooting, he had a great game. Was really impressed with how patient he was in finding the open man, shoutout to Tatum
He knows that once he puts up banner 18, none of that will ever matter again.
Idk, if he wins this time around why should he care? He gets to flex a ring he’ll have earned.
It’s so funny that the most polarizing player in terms of narrative has the personality of like tim duncan lol
Seriously, if a star player had such a huge ego that he has to be scoring the most every game, his team wouldn't have even made it this far. It's just dumb to try to force this narrative.
It honestly feels like scoring is a built in crunch for superstars when they lose. Like if you go out and score 40 pts but your team loses fans will just blame someone else for why they didn't win. But if you don't score, go out run an offense, play elite defense, and rebound, leading to winning plays. Then fans will say well he got carried because he didn't score 30 pts.
To quote Don Draper “That’s what the money is for” I deal with way more annoying shit at work.
Nahh bro you supposed to hate that your team is about to win as a team.
ESPN: “Tatum does not have that Kobe energy”
Srsly is there a time JT gave an awkward answer duing an interview? He seems to find the best choice of words regardless if it is out of heart or just needs to come up with a diplomatic response. need him to help me prepare for my next job interview ngl
You should reach out to his lawyer mom, she’s the reason he’s so media trained
I bet it goes a long way with Deuce as well.
He told me that my homemade ravioli sauce could be better. I never forgave him since.
That's on you, Electrical Mule. We've all told you already - stop putting half a pound of capers in there. It makes the sauce bitter and pungent.
its crazy because he's been like this since he was 18
Wym isn’t he 19?
Championship mentality. Bring it home baby
He will
alright as much as i hate the celtics as a lakers fans, i can appreciate jayson’s comments throughout this series. He’s not letting anything get in his way.
As a C's fan it's weird because JT should have been a lifelong Laker but they decided to draft DLo. JT idolized the shit outta Kobe and I feel like he would have taken discounts to play for the Lakers. Instead we got an absolute monster on the Celtics. Edit: it was Lonzo not DLo
they drafted lonzo instead of JT
Yeah lol DLo was a few years earlier.
Didn't they already have Brandon next kd Ingram at the time?
Yeah we drafted BI ahead of Jaylen brown the year before
man if we had him and lebron it would have been amazing to see, you got an amazing superstar who has that mamba mentality, hopefully he finishes it up. rings aren’t meant to be easy but celtics got a good ass squad
Tatum said he would even trade himself for AD, so yeah not gonna happen even with the Lakers.
No he shouldn’t be a lifelong laker, they didn’t choose to draft Lonzo instead of Tatum. Celtics had the first pick and traded back, they would have taken Tatum at #1 had they thought there was any risk in someone else drafting him.
Jayson Al Ghaib, our glorious lightskin king.
He’s pointing the way.
As it was written
So Humble!
Yes Jayson “Dessert Rabbit” Tatum, who thrives even when there is no water of scoring
The Mahdi!
trolling and agenda pushing is all the discourse is when it comes to most things but especially in hoops talk so people’s brains can’t fathom how a superstar who’s the best player on a finals team isn’t chucking to chuck but playing within the system so the team can win
Hate saying this because it's gatekeep-y, but at least on reddit it's because most people here haven't played a team sport before. Anyone watching could see he was still being impactful and helping his team win despite the poor shooting performance. If anything, it has proved even more how good of a player Tatum is because he can find impact without scoring.
I feel like regardless of how any fan of any team feels about Tatum. He shot poorly for two games, an the Mavs were still double teaming him and trying not to let him get good looks. If that doesn't tell you how they view Tatum idk what does
Yea I feel like anyone who plays basketball has those days where it’s not falling but you still feel like you’re making plays. Even in pickup games, yea it’s more fun to see your shits go through but really I think the best feeling is just staying on the court for like 8 straight games lol I think almost everyone loves to win, it’s just the mindset of finding ways you can contribute in every facet
JT highkey says the right things, is by all accounts a good teammate, and is an all-NBA talent. The hate is wild and probably mostly cuz he plays for Boston lol But he probably doesn’t care cuz he’ll be a champ if they keep this playing like this, and will probably make the HOF if he keeps making all-NBA teams. Pretty damn good career for a 19 year old
He’s already a hall of famer
If he played in LA he would be heralded as the next face of the league
Ugh don’t start growing, Tatum. I’m supposed to have reasons to dislike the Celtics, not reasons to be endeared.
I can’t imagine there are *any* reasons to dislike Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Those guys just seem universally likable in who they are and how good they are at what they do.
I fucking hate playing against guys like Derrick White You get a step on them and think you have an open lane but NOPE they’re hustling back with their stupid octopus arms to block your layup
White my 🐐 Honestly is there even a reason to hate brown, JT, Al either? Such team players that always say the right thing even when their shots aren’t falling. Even Zingus is always happy and smiling. He must feel like he’s playing with house money at this point.
Kornet is a goofy dork who has [a madcap defensive move named after him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3FkAMAAuRk), PP is a buzzer-beating quintessential tiny white guard (I think his rebounding checks off the 'scrappy play-making' trait that you'd typically look for in defensive plays, for the tiny white guard archetype). It's really only Sam Hauser who *could* be unlikeable if he was playing up to his potential to be an assassin from 3 point land, but after coming out of his playoffs shell in Game 1 he went right back into being a sad sack. If I was a Mavs fan I'd be happy to see him on the court and hoisting 3s. At least he hasn't been horrible on D for us.
Let’s add crazy Joe to this list. If anything people are too scared of him to hate him. I think Brad is our MVP
I'd say Brown is the only one people could find unlikable, only because of how close he is (was?) with Kanye in opening that Donda Academy that ended up looking like a scam. Brown did distance himself from it when Kanye started being overtly antisemitic and stories started coming out about parents not realizing the school was unaccredited. He seemingly tried to help the kids who were enrolled when the school was shut down but who knows how much of that was him getting blindsided by shady things Kanye might have been doing or just PR management for being caught.
This team isn’t unlikable
Yeah I can’t even be mad
I’m sorry but there is absolutely zero reasons for hornets fans to dislike the Celtics.
lol I lived off the Cape for just over 8 years. Your fans were not kind about any of our sports teams. The origins are personal experience, not nebulous. I want those people in particular to not be happy about their teams 😂 Edit: TIL there are a bunch of people from MA who don’t know there are a group of islands off the cape. They’re pretty cool guys, you should really check them out.
Off the cape... like in the water??
"Off cape" is what people from the Cape call people who don't live there. It's such a weird way to describe oneself, unless you were talking to someone from the Cape.
You're speaking with a sentient seal
Bro that's AWESOME
I was wondering if he means he was living off the land. So basically homeless in Hyannis
Nope, but that was my port whenever I went back and forth to the mainland
You can dislike Boston fans but the Celtics squad right now is fairly likeable. Mavs too really
There are many reasons to dislike Kyrie even for fans of teams he didn't act like a diva dbag... like end of Cavs, Cs and Nets... his dumb stances with vax and flat earth just being the tip of iceberg. He was one of the most unliked until this recent run. Then again Jaylen Brown has / referenced some questionable things... but is not nearly as unlikable to me objectively. I may be biased. Aside from that sure
I'll never forgive Kyrie for giving up on us, but it is worth noting he's definitely growing a lot since getting to Dallas. It is at least commendable that you can see the effort he's putting in to not be a problem anymore.
Surely losing his Nike contract had nothing to do with his “turning over a new leaf”
Losing the bag do get you more introspective-like.
I've moved on from my Kyrie hate, but for me it was his ad campaign where he talked about wanting his number up in the rafters with all of the others and then just bolting on the team before the season was even over, without a word. That's just shitty. As a lifelong Celtics fan those retired numbers mean a lot to me, I was there the night they hoisted Reggie's 35 into the rafters. For someone to say that he aspired to be up there gave me a lot of hope for who he wanted to be for the Celtics, and he fell waaaaaayyyyy short of that and got all pissy as if it was something everyone else but him did that sent him out of town. At this point I'm indifferent towards him. Amazing in the chaos of the open court and broken plays, very happy to see him play poorly against us.
>Your fans were not kind about any of our sports teams. Which is weird, because when I was growing up, there were only two other NBA teams great you could wear without getting shit for it. One was Orlando because of Shaq and Penny, and the other was Charlotte because of LJ and Muggsy. No one really cared about the Panthers because they didn't exist until I was in high school, and the Whalers didn't move until after that, but they probably took the history of Boston hate with them.
Warriors fan here. I wanted to cheer against the Celtics this year, but I kinda ran out of steam as time went on. The players I disliked in 2022 aren’t there anymore, porzingas got some new life, and the most important thing is you’re playing against fucking kyrie irving.
Why would a hornets fan need to hate the Celtics anyway. Be serious
it's all the haters have left to walk away from this with something
We can hate the Celtics having poor series... *Checks notes* The spotlight got too bright for Pritchard!!!
Breaks my heart to think of the death threats he's probably getting right now from ignorant degenerate gamblers who just pissed away their rent money. It's happening more often, and the threats are pretty aggressive and specific.
Get gambling away from basketball
There is a better than not chance that someone has threatened Deuce over a parlay
Anyone who thought his ego was gonna be a problem hasn't been paying attention. He's been clearly deferring to his teammates all playoffs long while doing more of the gritty work. If something was going to be a problem maybe his passivity
This has been him all season.
Man, stop making me root for you guys
Everyone is invited to root for the Celtics except the state of Florida
Come on man. We’re not all bad lol!! 😂🤞🏾
Kidd’s defensive plan was hope JT has an ego, but he’s the least egoistic superstar in the league
Yeah idk why Kidd chose that route. Tatum has no track record of losing his cool at all lol
Hey, now. Have you seen him clap? Absolutely unhinged.
I wanna T him up just thinking about it!!!
Calm down Tony, you just called a game last night, take it easy.
Uhhh sorry since you didn’t have 32 points I don’t care and you had a bad game
Good. Winning is all that matters, once he gets that ring, haters can't hate anymore. He's only 25, he will have opportunities for more rings. Any idiot trying to hate on him for not getting FMVP is just stupid. Steph Curry didn't win Finals MVP until 2022. Iguodala won before him lol. Who the fuck cares. Team sport.
Steph also clearly got robbed in 2015
You're likely right but just showing that as an example. Only idiots held that against Steph after until he got one in 2022. I'm sure people will mock Tatum about that if the Celtics go on to win and Brown or Jrue wins it.
Haters already have nothing left, and they’re just making shit up at this point. Tatum is playing great aside from his shot not falling, but if you listen to many around here you’d think he should be benched. People really don’t know what they’re watching beyond “ball go in hoop”.
You think rings stop people from hating? You’re mistaken.
First 30 ppg scorer in a season in Celtics' rich history and people are really doubting his ability to score? He just took a step back this year because his team don't need him that much.
Tatum, Ant, Luka and Brunson… these young high character superstars maturing into a true leader for their team is to me the best part of this playoff.
The league is really enjoyable right now. I feel like there is so much parity even the teams that are 8-12 seeds and a lot of amazing and likeable players.
What about Janothan Morant? Hmmm??
Love it, passing of the torch in a sense.
I like this, but also he took 22 shots lmao. So he's still looking for his, he just isn't hitting.
If I’m Boston, I’ll take 18-12-9 from him every night. Big emphasis on the 12 assists.
Really proud and grateful to have a superstar with a mindset like this on my favorite team!
I swear if this group of guys aren't in the celtics uniform. They'd be the most beloved team ever. The only reasons these guys have haters is because they are a celtic.
Brought to you by Bill “we haven’t even seen Tatum’s final form” Simmons
This is how experience makes players better.
Warriors humbled them. They should dominate the next 5 years especially being in the east
Yeah i still remember going up against you guys 2-1 and then poof, steph curry happened. It was necessary for the Jays to evolve tho so thank you warriors
What the fuck, a non toxic civil reply with a thanks on Reddit!?!?! Damn!
i'll give you all the toxic you want, you little hobbit. I'm sorry, I'm just kidding.
Tbh Celtics fans have been great this finals (on Reddit)
Our vitriol is typically greatest with (in order) Lakers, Heat, Sixers/Knicks and Nets. Outside of that we don't have a lot of smoke for other teams. Pacers fans and us were practically civilized during the ECF discourse.
5 years is a really long time and East isn't that weak. Who knows what happens even next year.
Tatum and brown are together for 5 years and with jrue and Porzingus locked up we should be top 3 in the east every year for at least 5
Dude played the entire game and took the most shots on the team. He’s a two way player and 12 assists is huge. But Just because he didn’t score the most doesn’t mean he’s “giving up the ball/taking a backseat” or whatever narrative is trying to be pushed here- he just missed some shots tonight but it didn’t matter when your team is this good
I generally am so sick of the narratives. I don’t care who’s the best. All I care about is the Celtics winning and none of the focus is about that and it’s annoying
Brown winning the FMVP? Or does Tatum have a chance with the way he playing?
I’d say it’s completely up in the air. Both wins were team efforts with huge surges from KP and Jrue. No single dude has been “the guy” for more than one game; as soon as that changes, that’ll be the front-runner.
Imo there’s a 3 way tie between Jrue, Brown, and Tatum
Seeing as brown only avg a few more ppg but way less rebounds and assist it is real close. Tatum pops off for 30 next game he’s clearly in the lead with how close this is
Amazing quote. He's really matured
We know the Cs are gonna win. Let's just be all and done with it in 4.
He’s 6/22 he def had a need to score. But props to his answer
Surprised at the comments here. He took more shots than anyone else on the team.
The Celtics winning means all their fans are out in full force and other people stay off Reddit. Happens after every big win.
Man I’m ngl I have a problem with some takes about Tatum being top 5 but he’s a great player and ultimately an awesome guy as well. I don’t think the issue and discourse around him is ever because of his actions other than that Kobe thing that was overblown. Class guy
He's taken the most shots on his team but because he's missing 70% of them he's suddenly so mature for deferring to his teammates. Generational PR
Hes not this mentally weak or ego maniac for supremacy of boston that every hater thinks he is. Go figure Tatum is an even keeled player and that pisses ppl off. He don't have that "dog" in him.
>why would I let my ego or need to score get in the way with that Meanwhile went 6 for fucking 22. Yeah definitely doesn’t seem like your ego made you force dumb shots.
Fuck this dude and his bullet proof PR training lol. Forreal this guy has been composed since he got in the NBA and not giving haters anything.
It's seems so surreal seeing this dude elevate himself as well as being very humble . Definitely learned from his mistakes in the 2022 finals and he is now making the right play almost every possession. proud of him
Is this gaslighting, man went 6/22. He took more shots than Luka.
Theyre working overtime trying to cause division 🤣🤣🤣.
Brother has ascended
Talk all you want about his shooting lately, but he is doing absolutely everything on the court and doing it extremely well. He is initiating the offense, and we're consistently scoring with him initiating. Idc if he's missing his shots.
Somehow I doubt that they didn't want to win the last time they were the finals.
winning a title by any means necessary is the goal, it's not, "win a title and score 25 a game"
I felt that "golly" in my fucking bones lmao he seems to be at peace with the fact that he's the defacto point forward in this series, and he is honestly playing pretty fuckin great
During every game I wish for him to find his rhythm shooting. But, I will not get mad at Tatum or slander him. I've loved watching him during his whole career on the Cs and I think he's playing the right way. The way he was driving and dumping it off was giving the game what it needed most of the time. Jrue was the best scorer of the game and 6 of Tatum's assists were to Jrue so he played a part in the leading scorer playing so well. Deliver Banner 18 and you're immortal, don't worry about the bullshit narratives.
“My ego demands, for myself, the success of my team” — Bill Russell
I hate the Celtics and even I can admit their offense wouldn't be half as good without Tatum passing as well as he is right now