Now the truth comes out. The Celtics lost another disastrous game Thursday, blowing a 25-point lead to the lowly Knicks. Afterwards, Jayson Tatum, who's been part of two straight abysmally disappointing campaigns, admitted he took the team's success for granted early in his career.
The Celtics made the Eastern Conference Finals in three of Tatum's first four seasons.
"I think early on, probably my rookie year, I thought that was just normal. Winning all those games, winning games in the playoffs. Probably taking it for granted a little bit," Tatum told reporters. "Enjoy those moments. Stuff like this happens and I think it makes you appreciate times like that even more. Just knowing how hard it is to win in this league."
In Tatum's defense, he came to play Thursday, dropping 36 points with six rebounds, nine assists and two steals in Boson's 108-105 loss. He scored 13 of the Celtics' 21 fourth quarter points, including every basket in the final 7:22.
The Celtics were enjoying a 20-point lead in the third before it whittled away due to bad defense and stagnant offense. Tatum tied the game with a fadeaway jumper with 1.5 seconds left, giving RJ Barrett just enough time to sink the game-winning three-pointer.
Boston lost to the Spurs Wednesday when Jaylen Brown missed a game-tying layup in the contest's closing moments.
"I mean, you only can learn from it. And remember the tough stretches where things aren't going your way. It's frustrating," Tatum said. "And it keeps you up at night. And it bothers you. I think because when you go through stuff like this, and then it gets to the point when you figure it out and you kind of get back to what you're used to doing. It makes that feel that much better."
For the first four years of his NBA career, Tatum was used to winning. In recent years, he's been used to being part of an underachieving team.
Too bad he didn't appreciate the good times while they lasted.
