For the second time in his career (and in the last three seasons), former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] helped lead the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals.
The Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers 105-102 on Monday night, Boston’s fourth straight victory to cement a series sweep in the Eastern Conference finals. Tatum scored 26 points in the deciding fourth game, making 11 of his 26 shots from the field and three 3-pointers while adding 13 rebounds and eight assists.
The former Blue Devil and the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft finished with 30.3 points per game in the series after he scored 36 points in Game 1 and Game 3. The Celtics won the opening game of the series in a miraculous comeback after Tatum scored 10 points during overtime.
Last week, the NBA announced that Tatum made his third straight All-NBA First Team after he finished the regular season with 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while leading the Celtics to the best record in the NBA. The 26-year-old is the only Duke alum with multiple First Team selections.
TATUM AND THE CELTICS ARE BACK IN THE NBA FINALS ☘️
Could this be their redemption for 2022? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ooQowkzrCp
— ESPN (@espn) May 28, 2024
The Celtics look to avenge a 2022 Finals loss at the hands of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.