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Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics attends a press conference ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, June 5, 2024. /CFP
Ace forward Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics admitted to reporters on Wednesday that he felt the pressure of playing in the upcoming NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, but wanted to enjoy it.
"I mean, you know the answer to that," Tatum said when asked if there's a different level of pressure playing for a team aiming for its 18th title. "Of course. We only hang NBA championship banners, right? 17 of them. Some of the greatest players to ever play this game wore this uniform. All of us are honored to follow in their footsteps, the way they paved for us to live out our dream."
This will be Tatum's second trip to the NBA Finals, starting with Game One at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday. He played against the Golden State Warriors for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in 2022 but lost the series 4-2 after averaging 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and seven assists per game, with that underperformance earning him a lot of criticism.
The 2023-24 campaign is Tatum's seventh in the NBA and he has earned five straight All-Star Game appearances as well as three consecutive All-NBA First Team selections. He averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game during the regular season and 26 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game so far in the playoffs.
Kristaps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics laughs during team practice ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, June 5, 2024. /CFP
"Essentially, yeah, if you want to be one of the greats to put on this uniform, every great before you won a championship," Tatum said. "That's what we try to play for every single season. The expectations are obviously different here. It takes special players to be here and to be a part of an environment like that."
The Celtics didn't meet much resistance on their way to the NBA Finals, despite the 10-game absence of starting center Kristaps Porzingis due to a calf strain. He is expected to return in Game One against the Mavericks, the team he played for over two seasons.
"Not all of it was like not good," Porzingis said of his time in Dallas. "We had some good moments. We had some decent moments, but overall it just didn't work for both sides. It wasn't perfect. But I would say everything – teammates, locker room – I know at that time there were some rumors that there was something in the locker room. It was never like that. It was all just noise at the end."