Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum’s buzzer beater all about team basketball

“It was just a layup,” said Jayson Tatum after the Boston Celtics downed the Brooklyn Nets in thrilling fashion.

But what it really was team basketball that put Tatum in position to flip in an uncontested layup as the final second of Game 1 expired and Celtics players ran on the court in a frenzy while TD Garden fans erupted.

In all Tatum’s 31 points led the Celtics in a game that saw both the best and worst of what Kyrie Irving can be on the court.

But this is not about him.  It’s about team basketball trending back in a favorable direction for the NBA.

Boston Celtics display team basketball in the final minutes of Game 1 vs Brooklyn Nets

The entire final minute showed how team defense and ball movement, two elements of the game that turned the Celtics season around, can still win over individual performances.  Yes, the Boston squad watched a 15-point lead evaporate to even get to that position, but the fact that the Celtics didn’t wilt, the fact that they punched back as a team is the real story here.

If this was that same Boston Celtics team that polluted the court earlier in the season, that team defense wouldn’t have been there, and Irving or Kevin Durant would’ve been allowed to put a dagger in the team in that final minute.  Instead, they doubled Kyrie and forced Durant into a desperation heave from beyond the stripe.

If this was the same Boston Celtics team that lacked identity earlier in the season, Brown would’ve taken a contested jumper as the final seconds ticked, but instead he passed.  Marcus Smart would’ve taken a three with two players flying at him, but instead he pump faked, drove closer to the hoop and found Tatum who was crashing towards the hoop instead of standing in the corner with his hands up.

You see, everything about the 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets was about team play taking over the headlines from individual efforts because had the Nets won, the storyline would’ve been about Kyrie Irving scoring 39 points and flipping off fans while doing it.

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Instead, what we have is a Boston Celtics team further buying into unselfish basketball and trusting each other on the court.  It wasn’t about who took the final shot, it was about finding the open shot.  Both were on display in those final seconds.

"“That’s where we’ve really improved at, and it all came together on that last possession,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said after the game."

In concluding, the Celtics absolutely needed stellar play from their stars.  When it came down to it, both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did their thing.

But complimentary players like Marcus Smart and Al Horford played huge roles in elevating that same team basketball on both sides of the court that will make the Celtics a tough out no matter how hot Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving get in this series.

It was only Game 1, but it was a game that set the tone.  A very good tone if you are a Boston Celtics fanatic.