The Boston Celtics are in serious danger of exiting the shock playoff at the hands of the New York Knicks.
The Celtics lost Game 1 at home at 108-105, but many thought it was a one-off and would be comfortable to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Well, after losing Game 2, 91-90, the next fixture at Madison Square Garden suddenly became a must-see for title defense.
The main reason for the Celtics’ shortcomings is the poor performance of star player Jason Tatum.
The 26-year-old only scored 37 points by combining his first two games. NBA expert Chris Brussard nurtured what Michael Jordan once said as a possible reason.
Jordan is undoubtedly the best player of all time, but he wasn’t better than Prime’s average 3-point shooter.
But Tatum and the Celtics try an incredible amount of three people, which sometimes leads to being one-dimensional.
Brussard recalled the famous Jordan quote about long-range shooting after the playoff game. Joe Mazra’s team should probably note it.
“I want to share my theory quickly,” Bruthard explained. “It shows the last play Tatum had. When you’re used to hunting three people all season, the three are easy ways to do it.
“Now, it’s clearly a smart shot, because it’s worth three points, but it’s kind of an easy way. That’s their overall strategy.
“There’s a clip of the virus that you might have seen Michael Jordan talking… After he hit all those threes in the final, he said, ‘I don’t want to be a great 3-point shooter because I take it from the other elements into my game.”
“When you have to get real resistance when trying to make a midrange shot, they don’t seem that comfortable. He got the matchup he wanted. You wanted Mitchell Robinson.
“He loses his dribbling and dribbles on three nicks, because instinctively he’s something he’s done all year round.”
He was not the only player to perform in the Celtics’ recent defeat, but he is the most scrutinized.
This is typical of the NBA, with superstars constantly receiving a large share of praise and lion criticism.
“There’s a lot of responsibility to look and go around,” Brussard added. “I fouled Mazra with Huck Amitchell and Mitchell Robinson and put it in the bonus.
“But you’re the best player, Jason Tatum. You’re the guy who said he wanted to win an MVP. You should have been meant to show you this season that you were actually a playoff performer and you won the Finals MVP.
“So when your team doesn’t perform, it’s ultimately on you. It’s a lot of responsibility to go around, but in the end, Jason Tatum has to wear this loss more than anyone else.”