Jayson Tatum’s absurd Celtics playoff feat breaks LeBron James’ young gun record
The Celtics star is in rare company.
The Boston Celtics, despite having not won a title in that span, have seen a lot of NBA Playoffs success with Jayson Tatum on the team.
Because of his elite performance in multiple playoff series in his still young career, the Celtics superstar has passed LeBron James into some truly elite company.
Most playoff points by a player aged 26 and under: 🔹Kobe Bryant — 2694 🔸Jayson Tatum — 2579 🔹LeBron James — 2578 ELITE COMPANY 🔥
Most playoff points by a player aged 26 and under:
🔹Kobe Bryant — 2694
🔸Jayson Tatum — 2579
🔹LeBron James — 2578ELITE COMPANY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bzhFJ5WPAW— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 28, 2024
Tatum, who just turned 26 in March, has already played in 19 NBA Playoffs series with the Celtics, including the yet to be completed Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. In that span, Tatum has played in 107 games, averaging 24.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Boston is 63-44 in that span.
Tatum now sits just 115 points behind legendary Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. If the Celtics manage to hold on and advance past the Pacers to the NBA Finals, it’s reasonable to assume that Tatum would pass Bryant in that series.
Bryant played in 25 series at the age of 26 or younger, which makes Tatum’s output even more impressive. James played in only 17 series in the same timeframe.
Celtics look to eliminate the Pacers in Game 4
© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics lead the Pacers 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston has an opportunity to clinch an NBA Finals appearance on Monday in Game 4.
The Pacers gave Boston a challenge in Game 1, but the Celtics narrowly earned a 133-128 overtime victory. A Game 1 upset in Boston would have been pivotal for the Pacers. Instead, the Celtics found a way to win and captured momentum early in the series.
The Celtics went on to win both Games 2 and 3, and now they are now just a single victory away from winning the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana is going to need to do everything they can to keep the series alive. They are playing at home and could potentially upset Boston in Game 4.
The chances of the Pacers making a 3-0 comeback are all but nil. Boston knows it can be done though, as they almost accomplished the feat last season after trailing the Miami Heat 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals. After winning three consecutive games, however, Miami bounced back and managed to win game 7.
Unfortunately for the Pacers, they are without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton yet again. Haliburton missed the heartbreaking Game 3 loss with a hamstring injury suffered in Game 2 and was initially listed a questionable to play on Monday night, according to the NBA’s official injury report. However, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle confirmed he’s a no-go.
The winner of this series will advance to the NBA Finals to take on the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sallas Mavericks. Dallas leads that series 3-0.
