A Spurs fan perspective on the Eastern Conference Finals

The Boston Celtics had a rough go there for a moment. There was door open to the Philadelphia 76ers in which they could have passed through and been hosting the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. But that door was not operated by any member of the “Brotherly Love” squad. It was completely in the hands of Jayson Tatum.

Any time Tatum has underperformed in these playoffs, the Celtics suffer. Although he ranked fourth in the MVP discussion, there will be many who will roll it back later and say he should have been in the voting along with Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.

Nothing against Giannis Antetokounmpo, this is simply Jayson Tatum’s time.

He proved that in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals as he broke NBA scoring records for postseason game 7 as well as franchise records for Games 7 for Boston. Seems the only one he left on the table was John Havlicek’s 54-point Game from the 1973 Conference Semifinals.

Jimmy Butler is a forced with which to be reckoned. And Tatum may just be that reckoning.

This is the single most important matchup to watch and the determining factor on who goes to the 2023 NBA Finals.

If Tatum shows up in full glory, ready to go, the Celtics won’t even need seven games to leave the Heat on vacation in South Beach.

But when Jimmy Butler smells blood, he goes for the throat, leaving Boston no wiggle room for error.

In a seven game series, it comes not only down to how the superstars play, but who steps up to fill in gaps on any given night.

If both Butler and Tatum are lighting it up, it will be second and third choices off double-teams that will have to knock down shots. If either Jaylen Brown or Bam Adebayo are having a rough night, who will make that unexpected shot?

Think Lonnie Walker IV’s epic Game 4. Who is going to carve out their future in this series?

Who are you rooting for in this series?

And is who you are rooting for who you think is going to win?

Last night, Game 1 resulted in Miami stealing home court advantage from Boston in yet another game where Jayson Tatum struggled. His 4th quarter underscored the divide between how the Celtics do when he is on fire versus when he is having a rough go.

Game 2 is in Boston tomorrow night.

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