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Tim Bontemps, ESPN
BOSTON — After making it to his first trip to the NBA Finals two years ago, Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he sees a return to the league championship round as a second chance to achieve his ultimate goal as a player.
“There’s a lot that I, and we, can learn from the experience in the Finals, and this time, this go-around is very different,” Tatum said after Saturday’s practice. “Obviously, we’ve been there before, we came up short. And it’s a great opportunity to get to the Finals again. You don’t always get a second chance, so just look at it as a second chance and try to simplify things as much as we can.
“It’s another series we have to win.”
Playing through a wrist injury in the 2022 Finals, Tatum averaged 21.5 points but shot 31.5% from 2-point range, including 6-for-18 from the field in a Game 6 loss at TD Garden as the Golden State Warriors continued to advance. celebrating his fourth championship in the Stephen Curry era on Boston’s home floor.
It took two years for the Celtics to get a chance to avenge that result, after losing in seven games in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat – again seeing their season end at home in Boston. Tatum sprained his ankle early in the loss, helping Boston avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series.
Now Boston can make a comeback — and against a familiar foe in Kyrie Irving, who Tatum spent the first two years of his career playing alongside. And despite the difficult 2018-19 season, and Irving’s departure in free agency for the Brooklyn Nets, making Irving’s return one of the dominant storylines in the Finals, Tatum said the opportunity to play with one of the league’s superstars early in his career was. incredible learning opportunities.
“Obviously there’s been some ups and downs, but I think, for me, being a first-year player, second year, being a superstar, basically, day-to-day and seeing how to navigate that space,” Tatum said, “and then obviously on the court, that’s one of the most talented men I have ever seen.
“So it seems like a long time ago, but I have a lot of great memories from having (Irving) as a teammate.”
Another dominant storyline: Kristaps Porzingis – his health status, after missing the last four weeks and 10 playoff games with a calf strain, and his reunion with his former team in the Mavericks. As for the health part of it, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said there that Porzingis participates fully in practice, although he indicated that there will be days of heavier work ahead when they start the ramp up for the Finals and make the most of having 10 days between series.
Asked if the decision would be to put Porzingis back in the starting lineup or make him come off the bench, Mazzulla said the choice will come down to how well Porzingis can help the Celtics win games.
“It’s just a line for everybody,” Mazzulla said. “So when KP is at his best, he’s been incredible for us. We expect that from him, and we know he’s going to give us. give us the best chance to win every certain game, every certain possession and every certain match.”
For his part, Tatum praised Porzingis for his willingness to match what the Celtics are doing and make himself an important part of this season’s 64-win team, a player who will be a critical part of Boston’s hopes of raising the banner for an 18th championship in a few weeks. next with the ability to both protect the rim defensively and offensively on the floor – and operate out of the post, where he struggled in Dallas.
“KP really did what we needed him to do this season,” Tatum said. “Whether it’s punishing the switch or the 5-man space, which is in the corner, sometimes it can be theirs without touching the ball. Or maybe, when they’re switching, we give them the ball five times in a row. . Joe talks about everyone, just, open -mindedness for whatever we try to do.
“We moved a lot, and we have a lot of talent, gifted players in the offensive and defensive end. Everyone just has to be open to try for different things. And I give KP a lot of credit, especially people as talented as He is really very tall like him, a lot of great people can jam in a way that makes them feel good, and makes us a better team.
