Jayson Tatum Says Celtics 'Hungry as We've Ever Been' Amid NBA Finals Lead vs. Mavs | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Jayson Tatum isn't satisfied with the Boston Celtics' 3-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, and he told reporters Thursday that he's using the team's 2023 Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat as motivation to win his first title.
"I credited last year a lot to the success that we're having this season," Tatum said, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "We were so consumed with getting back to the Finals, in a good way. But I think especially when we got to the playoffs, we were just ready to get back to June. In some ways skipping steps.
"... You're never promised to make it back to the Finals. I think each and every person this year came into the season with a different mindset. I think it has truly shown that we don't take things for granted, and we approach every single day the same. We're trying to get better, and we're as hungry as we've ever been."
Although the Celtics may have skipped steps during their 2023 playoff run, that hasn't been the case in 2024. Boston has been dominant throughout the postseason, accumulating a record of 15-2 despite tertiary scoring option Kristaps Porziņģis appearing in just six of those games.
It's especially important for the Celtics to remain engaged, as they've built up a commanding series lead partially due to the swarming perimeter defense from Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. The four-man unit of Tatum, Holiday, White, and Jaylen Brown has recorded an exceptional plus-12.1 net rating in the postseason (via NBA.com).
Although Tatum started off slow against Dallas by shooting 12-38 from the field through two games, he responded in Game 3 by dropping 31 points and dishing out five assists in just under 42 minutes of action.
NBA @NBAJayson Tatum punches it home... finishing with 13 PTS in the 1Q!<br><br>Boston trails Dallas 31-30 at the end of 1 on ABC 🍿 <a href="">
In the playoffs as a whole, the former No. 3 overall pick is averaging 25.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game on 42.6/29.1/84.6 shooting splits. He's also recording 6.2 assists compared to just 2.6 turnovers each night.
The Celtics nearly pulled off the same feat that Dallas is currently attempting to accomplish, coming back from a 3-0 series deficit and forcing a Game 7 against the Heat in 2023. However, Tatum suffered an ankle injury early in the deciding contest and Boston lost by 19 points.
The Celtics will attempt to close out their series against the Mavericks in Game 4 on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
