Jayson Tatum reflects on Boston's unexpected 24-point loss to Cleveland, emphasizing learning from setbacks in the NBA playoffs.
On May 10, 2024, the Boston Celtics experienced one of their most significant home losses in recent playoff history, falling 24 points behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. This defeat echoes a troubling trend for the Celtics, reminiscent of their 26-point loss to the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Championship and a 33-point regular-season loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jayson Tatum commented on the game, reflecting a realistic perspective about the nature of competition: "The whole world thinks the Celtics should never lose and should win every game by 25 points, but that's not always the case. Teams don't always win easily."
Despite the loss, Tatum maintained a positive outlook, emphasizing the potential for learning and improvement from such defeats. "No one is upset or discouraged. You never want to lose, especially in the playoffs. I think we can learn a lot from losing," he stated. He highlighted issues with creating space and securing offensive rebounds, which significantly hindered their scoring opportunities. The Celtics struggled with their shooting, hitting only 41% from the field and a dismal 22% from three-point range.
Tatum scored 25 points with a -22 plus-minus in the game, while his teammate Jaylen Brown also struggled, scoring 19 points with a -29 plus-minus, marking the worst performance on the team. Brown addressed concerns about the team's recent playoff home record, emphasizing the need to focus on the present rather than past seasons. "Last season was last season, and I only focus on the performance of this year's season," Brown explained.
The Celtics' defensive shortcomings were evident as they allowed the Cavaliers to shoot 54.7% from the field, marking the highest opponent shooting percentage the Celtics have faced in these playoffs. This included the Cavaliers making 13 of 28 attempts from beyond the arc.
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2024/05/10, picture citation source Associated Press