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Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker a special duo threat

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 23: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 react during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the first round of the playoffs at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 23, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 23: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 react during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the first round of the playoffs at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 23, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /
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Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum combined for 60 points as the Boston Celtics advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The good news for the Boston Celtics is that their All-Star duo of Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum combined for 60 points to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-game sweep to advance to a second-round matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

The bad news for the rest of the NBA is that both players are clicking which makes the Celtics a hard team to beat.

No shade to Jaylen Brown who actually gives Boston a formidable Big 3, but when Tatum and Kemba are clicking and hitting their shots, the Celtics offense is just that good, even with Gordon Hayward sitting outside the NBA bubble healing from a severely sprained ankle.

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In the team’s 110-106 first-round clincher against Joel Embiid and the 76ers, the combination of Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum was just too much for a team fighting for their playoff lives.

It was about the defense the entire series, but it was also about knocking down shots and creating offense at important times of the game.  It seemed like whenever Philadelphia was on the brink of taking over the game, the Celtics would come back and hit a big shot.

That really is where Kemba Walker makes this team that much better.  We all know how dynamic both Tatum and Brown are, but a healthy Kemba has been an assassin so far in these playoffs and a perfect complement to the young duo who still have their best basketball ahead of them.

Averaging 24.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the four-game sweep, the veteran All-Star put the team on his back down the stretch in Game 3 with 24 points and a dagger over Al Horford.  He followed that up in Game 4 on Sunday with a 32-point performance that may have ended the process in Philly.

A healthy Boston Celtics duo of Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker makes them hard to stop

In all, when Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker are at the top of their games at the same time, the Boston Celtics will be a tough out.  It’s just that simple.  As long as Kemba’s knee is holding up, he will just get better and more lethal as the playoffs continue.

Sounds like those minute restrictions are playing off, right Brad Stevens?

"“I’ve said all along I felt great about our plan,” Stevens said following Sunday’s win, via NBC Sports Boston.  “Give a lot of credit to Kemba and a lot of credit to our trainers.  They executed that plan.  That’s not easy to do.  And he didn’t like playing limited minutes building up.  He didn’t like not practicing.  But he got the knee stronger, he got ready to go for trying to be the best that we can be [at the start of the playoffs].”"

The Boston Celtics are going to need every bit of Kemba Walker in the second-round matchup against a Toronto Raptors team that plays good perimeter defense.

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Tatum’s ability to create his own shot is really going to be a factor in this series.  If he is able to be aggressive towards the rim and effective, there will be open shots for Walker.  It is also Kemba’s presence that makes it hard for team’s to double Tatum.  It really makes them a special duo when both are on offensively.

As Kemba Walker said about advancing in the playoffs for the first time in his career, “it feels good.”  It feels good that the Boston Celtics have a duo who is hard to defend and unstoppable when they catch fire.

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