The Boston Celtics were firmly placed after the first half in Game 1 against Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. But the second half was a rude awakening for the Celtics as they had a torrid third quarter with Jimmy Butler and his men sealing the first match of the series. Miami Heat won 118-107 against a short-handed Boston Celtics as Butler dropped 41 points game-high.
Former NBA player Jay Williams feels that it is all up to Jayson Tatum to turn this series around in the remaining matches for the Celtics. Ime Udoka coached team had a horrible third quarter as they were outscored 39-14 which ultimately resulted in their downfall. Udoka then came out to scold his stars, Tatum and Jaylen Brown for their lacklustre performances in Game 1 despite taking a handy lead in the first half.
Tatum turned the ball over too many times which disrupted the flow for the Celtics as Heat capitalised on their mistakes and went on a 22-2 scoring run to end up with a win. While Butler and his men were good on both ends of the court but had Tatum played with the same intensity then the Celtics could have come out with a win despite now having Marcus Smart and Al Horford as both of them were out for the first match.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Keyshawn, JWill & Max show, Jay Williams shared how Tatum needs to come to life in the remaining matches for the Boston Celtics. He said, “I give Jimmy Butler and Miami all the credit in the world. But if you’re Boston and you’re watching tape of this game in the third quarter you’re like, ‘What the hell are we doing?’ Jayson Tatum had four turnovers in the third.”
Jayson Tatum dropped team-high of 29 points with eight rebounds and six dimes to end the match but Jay Williams shared how Tatum was loose with the ball and did not play well. “Like he sees Jimmy Butler on the weak side, he’s just being loose with the ball. So, he’s gonna have 29 points and people will say he shot lights out but he didn’t play well. He needs to be tighter with the ball, their team needs to be tighter,” Jay Williams added,
He also shared how Marcus Smart and Al Horford’s return will affect the game massively and might see the Celtics win with Smart guarding Butler and Horford taking up Bam Adebayo. But before that, he criticised Tatum as he felt that despite not having them the Celtics could have won and had Tatum played well Udoka’s men would not have had a quarter like the third one.
However, he will have a chance of redeeming himself in Game 2 as Marcus Smart is also tipped to make a return as Ime Udoka and his men will be hoping to win the match and equalise the series.
