Legacies are on the line for Tatum, Celtics in Game 3

Being down 2-0 has revived all the criticisms that we thought were put to rest last year. So, what are they going to do about it?

Moments after the buzzer sounded to End game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, with confetti swirling around them, Jayson Tatum and his mother embraced on the parquet. “What are they gonna say now?” they both shouted, referring to Tatum’s critics in media and fan bases around the league. “What are they gonna say now?”

Tatum and his mom were obviously elated to have won the title, but their celebration also revealed that they pay attention to what the haters say. Among other things, the championship validated the partnership of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, refuted the charges that the Celtics couldn’t be trusted to win, and confirmed Coach Joe Mazzulla’s strategy that a title can indeed be won by shooting more threes than everyone else. Winning a ring was the key to silencing all that criticism.

Now back to today, where the Celtics are down 2-0 to the Knicks after shockingly blowing both games at home. The Celtics as a group have played terribly, and Tatum in particular has been one of the worst offenders. His shot has gone missing at exactly the wrong time. Boston needs a pick-me-up from their First Team All NBA guy, but so far in this series he has not been able to provide it.

The result is that all the old slander is back. “He’s overrated, not a real superstar, not clutch, got carried to the championship, they didn’t face any competition” and so on. A search of Tatum’s name on Twitter/X and BlueSky reveals how happy the Knicks have made the anti-Boston crowd.

Those are just mild examples online. Then in real life there are also the talking heads, like Miami-based Dan Le Batard, who ignores history to deliver this hot take:

Apparently, scoring 51 points in a Game 7 isn’t a memorable moment, but the problem is people who hear stuff like this will believe it. When that happens, Tatum’s reputation is damaged. Despite Banner 18 hanging from the rafters, Tatum and actually the entire Celtics team have not yet escaped “what they’re gonna say.”

The way out of this is for Boston to rally from the hole they’re in, with Tatum leading the charge. The Celtics are to blame for putting themselves in this bind, but they’re capable of coming back. The Knicks have outplayed them in crunch time, but not entirely. Boston holds advantages in second-chance points, points off turnovers and rebounding. The teams are virtually even in points in the paint. Boston’s shooting is clearly abysmal, but still they came within one more made shot of winning each game. Finally, the Celtics are one of the league’s best-ever road teams, while the Knicks lost two of three at home in their first-round series against the Pistons.

Most importantly, the championship is at stake, as well as the rare opportunity to be the first Celtics team to win in consecutive years since the Bill Russell Celtics did it in 1968-69.

But that’s not all. Legacies are also on the line, and that’s crucial to NBA discourse and how teams and individuals are perceived. Winning once is a tremendous accomplishment – but even so, players like Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley and Vince Carter never did it and are still considered all-time greats.

Unfortunately, that same respect is not given to the Celtics in general or to Tatum specifically. But if this group can somehow work their way out of this situation and go on to win back-to-back, then they would become NBA royalty. Al Horford and perhaps Jrue Holiday would cement their cases for Hall of Fame induction. Luke Kornet would get paid with his next contract. Sam Cassell might finally get a head coaching position. Tatum and Brown would again have the last word. And best of all, we would have Banner 19 to admire.

So, how badly does Tatum want it? Will he and the Celtics shrink under the pressure or step up like champions? Will they take all of this personally and do something about it?

All I can say is: I’m sticking with them.