Jayson Tatum Owns Struggles vs. Knicks, Says He Must 'Be Better' for Celtics in Game 3
Jayson Tatum is owning up to his struggles through the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals as the Boston Celtics face an 0-2 hole against the New York Knicks.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Tatum stated he has to "be better" and expects "to be a lot better" for Game 3 in Madison Square Garden.
Tatum has made just 12 of 42 total shots (28.6 percent) and is 5-of-20 from three-point range in the series. He has only shot under 40.0 percent from the field for an entire playoff series three times in his career, most recently in the 2024 NBA Finals.
While none of the offensive numbers look particularly good for Tatum, late-game situations have been especially difficult for him. The six-time All-Star has yet to make a shot in the fourth quarter (0-of-11) with a total of four points in 23 minutes between the fourth quarter and overtime through two games.
Game 2 offered Tatum two chances to be the hero. He took advantage of the first one with a terrific full-court sprint past the defense for a dunk to put the Celtics up 89-88 with 18.5 seconds remaining.
After a pair of Jalen Brunson free throws put the Knicks back on top 91-90, Tatum couldn't even get a shot off before time expired because Mikal Bridges swiped the ball away from him on a terrific defensive play to preserve the win for New York.
Of course, the Celtics being in a position where they had to rely on Tatum for a game-winning shot is part of a much larger team-wide problem that's persisted over the first two games.
Boston has led by 20 points in the second half of Games 1 and 2, only to lose both. The defending champs have been outscored 63-38 by the Knicks in the fourth quarters and overtime.
This isn't all on Tatum's shoulders, but being the Celtics' best player means the spotlight on him will be brighter. He has to be the one to slow things down when the Knicks start making their run.
It hasn't happened yet, which is why the Celtics find themselves in a 0-2 playoff hole for the first time since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. They lost the first three games of that series before coming back to force a Game 7, which Miami won in Boston to reach the Finals.
The Celtics will try to avoid needing to come back from another 0-3 deficit when they play the Knicks in New York on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
