I want Jayson Tatum to take the last shot 99 times out of 100. Last night was the only time I didn’t want him to do it.
This isn’t me using hindsight or anything like that. It’s something I’ve been thinking about over the last couple of seasons. Jayson Tatum is one of the best players in the league and should be in the MVP conversation. In critical moments, it’s okay to give the ball to your best player and let him make things happen. However, this team is not like most teams. This team is made up of elite players, five of whom were voted All-Star at some point in their careers.
That said, in the regular season, Tatum doesn’t need to take the last shot every time the game is on the line.
Last night against the short-handed Cavaliers, Cleveland came back in the fourth quarter to surprise the Celtics. Despite Dean Wade’s fourth-quarter surge, the Celtics stayed in the game thanks to key plays from Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis down the stretch.
Porzingis was involved in Boston’s final seven points of the game. The first was his difficult time at the post against Georges Niang. Then, KP showed his willingness to pass by feeding Jrue Holiday on a back cut, a pass we’ve seen him make all season.
With less than a minute to play, Porzingis got to the rim and finished with the foul to give Boston a one-point lead after making his free throw.
Before the final shot of the game, Tatum only shot the ball once in the final four minutes, which was a fadeaway shot in the paint that hit the front rim.
In the second half, Tatum was 1/12 in the second half (1/9 in the fourth) after his red-hot first half. Porzingis was 2/4 in the fourth, while Jaylen Brown didn’t attempt a shot in the final quarter.
Teams shouldn’t necessarily track who shot the best in the final quarter to see who should take the last shot, but sometimes going with the hot hand is the best option, especially if that hot hand is also a hot hand. leading. player.
If Donovan Mitchell played last night, I’m sure he’d get the last shot at Dean Wade. But, with all due respect to Wade, going from Wade to Mitchell is not the same as going from Tatum to Porzingis.
NBA players have every right to be confident in their abilities because they are the best in the world at what they do. However, sometimes, especially in a “meaningless” regular season game, I wish the ball would find someone with the hot hand or having a better quarter. It was Porzingis who kept us alive in the final minutes of the game and even if he doesn’t make the last shot, it’s a waste not to involve him in the offense.
Tatum’s final shot was one bounce away from the inlet, it was so close. Personally, I’m not a fan of just reducing the time until the final blow if you’re just doing isolation. The ball was returned to Tatum with 19 seconds left, enough time to run a set or move before the final shot.
With so much time running out, there should be more people moving around to move the defense rather than running the clock down to the final seconds.
Tatum admitted after the match that he “probably should have gone a little faster.”
Tatum crossed half court with 11 seconds left, then got his matchup with 8 seconds left, where he then made his move. Porzingis was sent to the corner and Jaylen Brown just spaced the field into no-man’s land.
No one is going to win the NBA Finals with this game, but sometimes with a team full of All-Stars, it’s nice to put the ball in the hands of someone like Porzingis.
If Mazzulla thinks the better player shoots the better shot, then Boston should have run a set to use Porzingis or Brown as a decoy for Tatum. Just having them both sitting in the corner and away from the game allows for more focus on Tatum.
If this was a playoff game or a chance to win the Finals, then I would want Tatum to take a chance. However, given last night’s circumstances, Tatum shouldn’t have gotten the last look.
