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The Celtics got a historic performance from Jayson Tatum on Sunday, while the 76ers got yet another postseason no-show from both of their stars as the Celtics claimed a 112-88 victory in Game 7 to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Here are the takeaways.
1. Jayson Tatum was brilliant, and frankly, “brilliant” doesn’t quite cover it. It’s hard to think of what Tatum could have done better or in a more timely fashion.
Tatum roared out the gates with 11 first-quarter points and an assist. After a short break at the start of the second quarter, he immediately got back to the free-throw line and tacked on 14 more points, finishing the first half with 25.
But in the third, he broke the game open. If Tatum alone had scored in the quarter, the Celtics would have pushed their lead to 10. By himself, Tatum outscored the Sixers 17-10, shooting 4-for-5 from 3-point range. As it was, the Celtics landed a knockout blow, and a concussed Sixers team wobbled meekly through the fourth quarter en route to elimination. In front of an electric TD Garden crowd, Tatum buried a 3-pointer that gave him 51 points — the most in any NBA Game 7 in history — and strutted back up the court holding up a 5 and a 0.
