Jayson Tatum Was Brutally Honest After Game 1 Win


On Thursday night, the NBA Finals officially got underway, with the Boston Celtics playing host to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Although the Celtics were considered the favorites coming into Game 1 in Boston, the Mavericks are not an opponent to be overlooked, especially after what Jason Kidd’s squad was able to accomplish throughout the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs. Even though some expected a close and competitive game between the Celtics and Mavericks on Thursday night, that didn’t turn out to be the case, with Boston dominating Dallas from start to finish. […]© Provided by The Cold Wire

 

On Thursday night, the NBA Finals officially got underway, with the Boston Celtics playing host to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden.

Although the Celtics were considered the favorites coming into Game 1 in Boston, the Mavericks are not an opponent to be overlooked, especially after what Jason Kidd’s squad was able to accomplish throughout the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs.

Even though some expected a close and competitive game between the Celtics and Mavericks on Thursday night, that didn’t turn out to be the case, with Boston dominating Dallas from start to finish.

Six players on the Celtics scored in double figures in Game 1, including all five starters, with Jaylen Brown leading the way with a team-high 22 points.

Despite being arguably the team’s best player and scorer, Jayson Tatum finished Game 1 with only 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting but also added 11 rebounds and five assists to help the team get their first win of the series.

After the game, Tatum talked about being nervous and anxious playing in his second Finals for the Celtics, via Celtics on NBC Sports Boston.

“To be honest, I was nervous… in an anxious way… it’s surreal being in the Finals,” Tatum said.

It’s pretty standard for any professional athlete to be a bit nervous while playing for a championship, especially considering Tatum’s situation, where he has tremendous pressure on him to perform and lead his franchise to what would be an NBA-record 18th title.

Tatum and company hope to carry over this momentum in Game 2 on Sunday at TD Garden before the series shifts to Dallas for Game 3 and Game 4 at American Airlines Center.