all know that Celtics already lead 2-0 in the finals.
In the key G2, Holiday became the main contributor to the team's victory. He scored 17 points in the half against Doncic. made 11 of 14 in the game. He efficiently scored 26 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists, and did not make a single mistake. , He also became the first player in the Finals since Duncan in 2013 to score 25 points, 10 rebounds and 0 turnovers in a single game.
In addition, Brown, who played well in g1, also continued his touch. made 8 of 15, scored 21 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals . With 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Mavericks caught up to 5 points. It was Brown who ended the scoring drought with a layup and killed the game.
In comparison, Tatum's performance is a bit inferior.
In the whole game, Tatum played a total of 45 minutes. He made 6 of 22 shots, 1 of 7 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists. , a near triple-double was very dazzling, and he still had 12 assists in a single game. A new high in the playoffs, but only 18 points on 6-for-22, 1-for-7 three-pointers? It’s really hard to take action.
First of all, we need to be sure that Tatum is playing really hard. In the Celtics' five-way lineup, whether Porzingis or Horford is on the court, Tatum needs to be in the paint. is the same as g1. His main goal is The defensive players are Gafford and Lively, and they often need to switch to Doncic and Irving, which consumes a lot of physical energy.
Just like that, Tatum still bears important responsibilities on the offensive end. One statistic is that Tatum averaged 9.1 breakthroughs per game in the regular season, which increased to 11.4 times in the first three rounds of the playoffs., and in two games in the finals, The numbers are 18 and 29 times respectively.
Many of the Celtics' offenses were initiated by Tatum. There were 47 breakthroughs in two games, 24 of which were passed, and a total of 114 passes, 17 assists, 27 potential assists, and assists to create points. Both teams ranked first with 40 points.
In the second quarter of G2, Tatum even sent out 7 assists in a single quarter. This is the second most assists in a single game in the history of the Finals, second only to Stockton who had 8 assists.
In terms of handling the ball, you can see Tatum's progress. He has read the Lone Ranger's defensive strategy very well. When encountering double teams, he did not attack hard, but created better opportunities for his teammates. This can also be said You can see it from the comments of teammates and coaches.
g2 After the game, Holiday talked about scoring the highest score in the team. He said: "Honestly, I think I just got a chance. I would say a large part of the reason is that Tatum is attacking the frame. , the opponent Double teamed him and he made the right call...he played great tonight, he got us inside, he created opportunities for us, found me open, it's all his Credit .
Mazzula said: "As far as the organizers are concerned, entering the game is like solving a puzzle. Tatum has learned how to clear up the fog and solve the puzzle ." Tatum himself said: "Every time I dribble the ball a few times, there will be three people there to double-team me. I don't need to do anything special, just find the open teammates."
So, Tatum Thum's performance on defense and organization is absolutely commendable. After two games, he ranked first on the team with 20 rebounds and 17 assists. The problem is that his personal offense is really bad.
In fact, Tatum also has a strong desire to attack. This can be proved by the fact that he took 22 shots, which is the highest in the team. In the fourth quarter, he even took 7 shots in a single quarter. However, the touch was not good, and he only took 22 shots in total. Enter 1 time.
The last attack in the fourth quarter was very "unfortunate". With 1 minute left on the time, the Mavericks caught up to 98-103. In the Celtics' offensive round, Tatum faced Doncic with the ball and continued to change. Successfully broke through, but was blocked by Jones Jr. who was assisting in defense.
If this goal can be scored, Tatum can at least leave the impression of stepping forward at critical moments. However, he did not seize the opportunity, and then White blocked Washington's fast break layup and Holiday. The scene of grabbing rebounds and Brown's layup to kill the game - just missed one or two offensive rounds, which gave people a completely different feeling than .
Defense is very important, organization is also very important, but offense is the most intuitive impression. After all, basketball games are nothing more than comparing who scores higher. At this point, Tatum has lost to his teammates.
The fact is that in the current official fmvp rankings, the top three are Holiday, Doncic, and Jaylen Brown, and Tatum is only ranked fourth - the best team in the regular season, and the finals are already in the limelight. He was completely covered by his two teammates.
Of course, Tatum is still the star of this team. The Celtics need his defense and sudden points. However, can Tatum do these well while taking into account offensive efficiency? From the first two games, he didn't do it.
Although it is a bit early to tell, if Tatum still thinks about FMVP, he must deliver one or two masterpieces in the next games. I look forward to what performance Tatum can give in the next series. .
