Boston Celtics turn up the Heat: 3 studs who erupted in Game 5 vs Miami

Jayson Tatum shows he’s the best player on the court

Yes, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson had their chances to shine in the spotlight.  Yes, veteran All-Star Jimmy Butler did his thing in the first half of Game 5, but the best player on the court is Jayson Tatum hands down.

Following a quiet first half, the budding All-Star erupted in that third quarter, delivering 17 points on his way to a 31-point, 10-rebound performance to catapult his team to victory.

Like Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, Tatum knew his team just needed to settle down and play Boston Celtics basketball following a sluggish first half.

"“I think we all realized it,” Tatum said following the game.  “Everybody was so anxious, eager to make a play, make something happen.  We know what’s at stake – we lose and go home.  But at the same time, we’ve got to relax a little bit.  Take a deep breath.  We know how important every possession is, but we’ve still got to just relax a little bit and play the game, and that was kind of the message at halftime.”"

Taking it one game at a time and one play at a time, the Celtics are in the right mentality. With the talent on the team, it all starts with Jayson Tatum, but doesn’t have to end with Tatum.

When he is doing the things he can do offensively, he is a tough player to stop because of his ability to score inside and out.  By putting the pressure on players like Herro and Robinson, the Boston Celtics offense is actually the best defense against those players because it makes them work.

In summary, it was good to see the energy the Celtics sparked in that first half.  Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart and Gordon Hayward played well, but all the kudos go to the trio of Daniel Theis, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum who impacted the game in multiple ways in rout to forcing a Game 6.