Midway through the fourth quarter Sunday night, with all eyes on him and the 76ers gasping for air, Jayson Tatum swished a 3 in Joel Embiid’s face and held up the “5-0” to remind everyone in the building that this was his night.
Tatum poured in 51 points (17-of-28 shooting), breaking the NBA’s all-time Game 7 record set by Stephen Curry two weeks prior. It was a transcendent, glorious performance – one NBA fans will reminisce about decades later and one that will surely make Tatum’s mother, Brandy Cole, proud.
He fueled a dominant second half, as the Celtics turned a three-point lead into a decisive 112-88 victory at TD Garden.