Can Celtics survive Jayson Tatum's struggles? | Good Word with Goodwill
Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill and NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh look at Jayson Tatum's recent playoff funk and discuss how far the Celtics can go with Tatum's struggles. Hear the full conversation on “Good Word with Goodwill” - part of the “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video transcript
The Celtics are just cruising.They're in absolute cruise control right now.I would, I would suggest to you that they're doing this with Jason Tatum being their third best player this postseason.Now, look at the, not look good and it hasn't even mattered.It hasn't even mattered because they play the five out system and they, and they got great defense Jalen Brown again on Tuesday night in game one looked out outstanding Derek White showing out.He's got uh commercial campaigns.Now this is, this is a, a big blow up for Jalen Brown and Derek White, but it also is pointing to the fact that like Jason Tatum can probably just sit back and wait for these guys to like carry them for the next couple rounds and then he can wake up and be like, 00, yeah, yeah.Yeah.Remember how the last couple years I, I would try to carry this team down to down the stretch and down in the finals.You guys got this and I'll come meet you guys in the, in the finals like that is feeling where it's going right now because if you go to the Knicks side of things and the Pacers side of things.If this continues, the Boston Celtics will have such, not an easy road, but it feels like Jason Tatum doesn't have to be better than the third best player for them to get to the NBA finals.Yeah, I think the way that things broke in the Eastern conference this year with Milwaukee looking like Milwaukee.Miami not living up to expectations.Philly being hurt, like a lot of things are breaking right for them to be the fresher team once the finals get here.And if we have Minnesota and Oklahoma City in a blood bath of wings because that's what it would wind up being, it would just be the wings, just blood bathing each other.The other part about Jason Tatum, the Celtics can get through the Eastern Conference with Jason Tatum being their third best player.They ain't winning Jack.If Jason Tatum isn't their best player in the NBA finals, let's make that one perfectly clear.