Maybe it's payback for not drafting him first overall in 2017, but Jayson Tatum seems to have some sort of vendetta against the Philadelphia 76ers, particularly in the playoffs. And that is no different this year as the Duke alum has led the Celtics to a 3-1 series lead in the first round and has put the 76ers on the brink of elimination.
Currently, Tatum is in the midst of his fourth career playoff series against Philadelphia. He and the Celtics are 15-5 in those games and won each of the first three series (and are just one win away from making it four). Additionally, per StatMuse, he is averaging 26.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1 steal, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 48.3% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc in those games.
That includes a historic 51-point, 13-rebound, 60.7% shooting day during Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Tatum consistently torments the 76ers in the playoffs. And even though he hadn't stepped on the court in nearly a year just two months ago, this continues to be the case... and the 76ers can't seem to do anything about it.
Jayson Tatum has been incredible against the 76ers this series
Just watching the first four games of the 76ers-Celtics series, you would have no clue that Tatum is fresh off an Achilles injury. He is averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 49.3% from the field and 38.2% from deep. This also includes a three-point dagger that sealed a Celtics Game 3 victory with 26 seconds left.
Tatum is one of the best players in the game, and the fact that he might be even better than he was before the injury (particularly as a rebounder and playmaker) should terrify the rest of the NBA.
This series isn't technically over, but it's hard to imagine Philadelphia coming back from a 3-1 series deficit (especially when it was already considered the clear-cut underdogs) with Tatum and the Celtics playing as well as they have been.
Even with Joel Embiid returning for Game 4 (26 points on 42.9% shooting, 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and a block), it is clear that the 76ers are just outmatched in nearly every way in their series against Boston. With their backs up against the wall, they really don't have much to lose at this point, and that is always when a team can do the most damage.
But if No. 0 on the green team has anything to say about it, the 76ers are going to be headed to Cancun very soon.
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