“Forever overrated” – Jayson Tatum ripped to shreds as Celtics lose to Knicks in electric Game 1

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics started their second playoff round series against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.

“Forever overrated” – Jayson Tatum ripped to shreds as Celtics lose to Knicks in electric Game 1

Jayson Tatum struggled to score game-winning shots in Boston Celtics loss (Image via FirstSportz)

The New York Knicks did not even win a game the four times they faced Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in the regular season. In the aftermath, Jalen Brunson and his teammates were trolled extensively, as they did not display the fight needed to defeat the reigning champions.

Then, when the playoffs started, luck played its part in helping the Knicks defeat the Detroit Pistons. However, towards the end, Brunson started clicking and played his part to book a ticket to the next round. Tonight, they were to face the defending champions, and the difference in fatigue and overall play exposed the Knicks early on.

The defending champions raced out to a commanding twenty-point lead, with five minutes left in the third quarter. The likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, along with their teammates, had an answer for anything the away team threw in their face.

But after the Celtics drew up a 20-point lead, the Knicks started to answer back with a rally to win the third quarter and bring the deficit down to single digits. But it was not enough for the Knicks, as they were staring at a fifth straight loss to the Celtics.

The 4th quarter saw the lead switching hands on almost every possession. Then, Jalen Brunson decided to take over. He brought out his step-back threes three straight times to help his Knicks take the lead. But it was not enough as the Celtics came back to tie the game.

Then the game headed into overtime as both teams could not get shots to fall in the final few seconds of regulation. The last two chances of the Celtics were in the hands of Jayson Tatum. He could not get them to fall and continued in the same way in overtime.

Jayson Tatum coming up short has fans fuming

Tatum had two chances to win the game for his Boston Celtics. The first one was easier, as he had used that play several times to score. The second was not completely his fault, as he had just .6 seconds to attempt the shot.

However, fans pointed out that in that possession, Tatum’s angle of approach was wrong. Had he positioned himself to face the basket, he could have had a better shot. Those last two clankers have fans believing that Jayson Tatum is not that superstar that many in the media tout him to be.

Fans were also angry that the Duke alum struggled mightily in overtime. His combined stats of 4 points from 1 of 9 shooting from the field in both the fourth quarter and overtime had fans fuming. Check out some of those angry reactions below.

Another playoff game, and another chance to establish himself as one of the best goes to waste. This loss reinforced the belief that Tatum has an NBA title on his resume because of the team that he plays for. Without all those All-Stars, as well as the easy run they enjoyed to the NBA Finals, the 27-year-old would not be able to call himself a great player.

Mikal Bridges’ OT heroics makes up for 51 minutes of mediocrity

One of the first blockbuster moves the New York Knicks made this past offseason was when they acquired Mikal Bridges. They stunningly gave up 5 first-round draft picks. That was too steep a price for a player who had never clearly indicated that he was a superstar.

Mikal Bridges snatched the ball out Jaylen Brown's hands for the win
Mikal Bridges snatched the ball out Jaylen Brown’s hands for the win (Image via Open Source/X)

Matters became worse when Bridges struggled this past regular season and was not even the third-best player on that team. Even tonight, he struggled for much of the game, but surprisingly, head coach Tom Thibodeau kept him in.

He scored all of five points heading into overtime. Had this been a loss, Knicks fans, along with others from the basketball world, would have pointed fingers at him. But the guard made up for it in overtime. First, he stole the ball from Al Horford and sent it out to his teammates.

That set up OG Anunoby for the go-ahead score. On the next Knicks possession, he shot a three to help extend the lead to 6 points. Then, when the Boston Celtics in bounded the ball, Bridges pounced on Jaylen Brown and snatched the ball away to win the game 108-105.

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