Celtics' Jayson Tatum Talks NBA MVP Race, All-Star Game and More in B/R Interview

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have their sights on the larger goal of an NBA championship, but they knew a 20-game home winning streak to start the season was special.

That made Friday's 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden just a little more painful than a normal regular-season defeat.

"That one stung," Tatum told Bleacher Report.

"We are taking it one game at a time, but once you go on that streak, you really try to lock in and not mess it up. But it's been great. I feel like we play in front of the best fans on a nightly basis. You try to repay them by playing the right way and winning because they show up every night to support us. They always give us that energy. So many times we've been down going into the fourth quarter, and they give us that boost and we just take off from there."

Tatum just missed a shot to tie Friday's game in the closing seconds, but a 20-1 mark at home is still an unbelievable start. Nobody else in the NBA has fewer than three losses at home, and the raucous crowds have made every game at TD Garden feel like an event.

It's a major reason Boston is the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference at 33-10 and 3.5 games ahead of the second-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who have four losses at home this season. The Celtics and Bucks have played twice, with the home team winning each time, underscoring the overall importance of that No. 1 seed and the home-court advantage that comes with it.

That is especially the case for the Celtics, who went to four Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Finals in Tatum's first six years but are still looking to get over the hump and take home a championship during his tenure.

While the Duke product acknowledged the top seed will be important in those efforts, he and the team are keeping things in perspective.

"We've done a really good job so far this season of just taking it one game at a time," Tatum said. "We're not trying to skip steps, we're not looking ahead. We're just trying to get better at everything. We'll figure the rest out when April comes."

There will be some new faces helping them figure things out in April.

Boston responded to its 2023 Eastern Conference Finals loss by trading for Kristaps Porziņģis in a three-team deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards and then acquiring Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers shortly after the Bucks moved the point guard in a deal for Damian Lillard.

Porziņģis is a matchup nightmare in the frontcourt who can extend his game beyond the arc, take advantage of openings created by Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and keep veteran Al Horford fresher ahead of the playoffs.

And Holiday is someone with a championship on his resume who provides veteran leadership for a team looking for a Larry O'Brien Trophy of its own. He is also one of the best defensive guards in the league who can stay with opponents' best playmakers while Tatum and Brown do the heavy lifting on the offensive side.

"They've been great," Tatum said of the additions.

"Porziņģis adds a different layer and something we haven't had before as a low-post presence who can shoot from deep as tall as he is and protect the rim. He makes it really tough to guard. With Jrue, he's a proven champion. He's been an All-Star a couple times. He can score. He's one of the best defenders this league has seen in a long time. Just a great teammate. We're very fortunate to have them."

Having so much talent on one team does make it a bit more difficult to stand out on an individual level.

Tatum averaged 30.1 points per game and finished fourth in MVP voting last season and is once again in those types of discussions alongside Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić.

But he is probably looking up at some of those players at this point despite averaging 26.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from deep this season.

"You've got some guys playing unbelievable basketball," Tatum said when asked about the MVP race. "Embiid averaging 35 a night. And Jokić and guys like that.

"It's a little tougher with the team that we have. Nobody has taken a step back, but in terms of our numbers we have so much talent on our team, and we share the wealth. Nobody's averaging what they were probably averaging last year. We're all probably a couple points down. But we're all playing great basketball. MVP might be tough just with the dynamic of our team. But we're trying to play for a championship, so that's what I'm thinking about."

He is also thinking about an important choice he has to make before All-Star Weekend.

Tatum and WNBA star A'ja Wilson partnered with Ruffles ahead of the 2024 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and will help provide a memorable experience for two fans. Fans who post a video of themselves on Instagram showing off their long-range shooting skills with the hashtags #RufflesRidgelineChallenge and #Entry will have the chance to take the court at the Celebrity Game.

Photo Credit: Ruffles

Wilson and Tatum will choose the winners, who will get to shoot from the Ruffles Ridgeline during pregame warmups. The Ruffles Ridgeline will be used as a four-point line during the actual game.

"It's always been organic," Tatum, who has a signature Flamin Hot BBQ bag of chips, said of his partnership. "I've always been a chip guy. I've always loved Ruffles growing up. So the opportunity to partner with Ruffles in the first place and have my own signature bag, that's almost like having your own signature shoe.

"Any time you can integrate All-Star Weekend and have the fans more involved, it's just a good connection. For me and my good friend, A'ja Wilson, to be able to pick two people to come and enjoy All-Star Weekend and be able to come on the court will be a dope experience. I'm looking forward to it."

Tatum will surely be in Indianapolis for All-Star Weekend for more than just the Ruffles contest.

He is on track for his fifth All-Star selection in a row and seems well on his way to securing a starting spot for the Feb. 18 contest. The NBA provided a voting update last Thursday, and he was third in Eastern Conference frontcourt voting with 3,717,311 votes in a close race with Antetokounmpo (4,309,630) and Embiid (3,721,002).

The starters will be announced Thursday on TNT's NBA Tip-Off.

"It would mean a lot," Tatum, who won the 2023 All-Star Game MVP, said of potentially being named a starter. "Hopefully, this will be my fifth year in the All-Star Game. It's not something I take for granted. If I play the right way and play to a certain standard, I should make the game, but I never take it for granted.

"Having almost four million votes doesn't even seem real. I grew up dreaming about the All-Star Game, and now I'm able to go. It's an honor, I really enjoy it. Being a part of All-Star Weekend is special, there's so many fun memories that I have playing in the game, watching it growing up. It's just something you always want to be a part of."

If he continues to play like he has throughout his career, he will be a part of many more.