Boston Celtics Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Down 3-1, the Boston Celtics are looking very much the part of a low postseason seed that had to earn its way into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
That said, despite their middling 2020-21 record, the Cs do own one of the most singular dominant offensive forces in the league in Jayson Tatum. As one of just seven players averaging 30 points per game throughout the first four games of the NBA playoffs, the 23-year-old 2x All-Star can single-handedly will his team to victory.
Let’s not forget that 80 points from Brooklyn’s top two stars (Kevin Durant, James Harden) weren’t enough to beat Boston in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals largely because of Tatum’s 50.