Tatum the new face of Boston sports
Boston is a basketball town again. It’s been a while.
Not since Larry, Kevin, Robert, D.J., and Danny were Boston’s starting five have the Celtics reigned supreme.
The Celtics have won just one title since the Reagan Administration. The Green Teamers have wandered 14 years in the metaphorical desert seeking Banner 18.
This time, the stage is all theirs. The Red Sox tenaciously hold last place in the AL East.
A 10-win season will trigger euphoria in Foxboro.
The Bruins rolled a 7 in Carolina on Saturday, losing to a franchise that once played its home games in the Boston Arena, Boston Garden, and the Hartford Civic Center.
For those keeping score at home, the Bruins have now won just one championship in the past 50 years.
Yet, the Jacobs family continues to skate in the hearts and minds of the masses and State Run Media types.
Meanwhile, the Celtics put it all on the 3 Sunday at TD Garden. They walked from the table flush with cash — and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston dethroned defending NBA champion Milwaukee in a 10981 rout. The Celtics are now 4-0 against the Bucks all-time in Game 7s. Bedlam took the place of Aura and Mystique amid the frenzied throng gathered above North Station.
The Celtics make their record 37th Eastern Conference Finals appearance starting on Tuesday. Jayson Tatum and Co. will be taking their talents to South Beach to face Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
The 2008 Celtics were just a footnote during a monstrous 18-year run that saw a dozen titles spread among Boston’s four major-league teams.
The 2022 Celtics are your best hope for a Duck Boat parade since the Bruins took the ice for Game 7 against the Blues in 2019.
And there is no Tom Brady to lean upon after each team’s elimination.
Nor is there a David Ortiz poised to deliver magic in the fall.
Patrice Bergeron? He may or may not be back next season. And even if he does return, he won’t be the perennial Selke Award favorite we’ve come to admire.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are doing all they can to expedite the departure of Xander Bogaerts and greasing the skids for Rafael Devers to follow in 2023.
Jayson Tatum now has a clear field to be the unquestioned face of Boston sports. All he needs to do is ask for the crown and enjoy the coronation.
What seemed obvious for months became crystal clear either in person or on your 65-inch 4D screen Sunday.
Tatum was playing. And Jones was watching. From the second row. Behind Robert Kraft.
That eliminates Mac from the “Face Of Boston Sports” discussion.
Tatum is all that and a bag of chips. Flaming Hot BBQ Ruffles chips to be exact. In his 10 playoff games this spring, Tatum has averaged 28.8 points and 41.7 minutes. He’s sent Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Giannis Antetokounmpo home for the summer.
If that doesn’t thrust the “Face Of Boston Sports” into NBA elite status, nothing short of a title can.
Tatum scored 46 points when the Celtics were bereft of offense against the Bucks in Game 6 Friday night in Milwaukee. Sunday, he kept Boston in the game before Grant Williams unloaded a record-tying 7 threes for a Game 7.
Two weeks ago, Grant Williams wasn’t even the best Williams on the Celtics roster. A career-best 27 points later, he’s now on a par with Grant Hill, Lou Grant, Ulysses S. Grant, and Cary Grant. At least in Boston.
Tatum was flagged with his fourth foul on a ridiculous charge call as the Celtics led 63-53 with 7:44 to play in the third quarter. Tatum sat for the rest of the frame. The Bucks had no idea what to do next. Williams scored 11 of Boston’s next 19 points. After Tatum had returned to bury a 14-foot jumper with 10:21 to go in the game, Boston led 84-68. There would be no great fourth quarter collapse on this unseasonably warm afternoon.
Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists Sunday. But the Greek Freak’s body English said it all. He shrugged his Herculean-like shoulders in frustration multiple times while the Celtics raced up the court after one of his 16 missed shots. Overall, the Bucks hit just four 3-pointers while shooting 33. Boston made 22 of 55 longball attempts.
Kraft watched the festivities seated between Paul Pierce and Celtics head honcho Wyc Grousbeck in the front row. Jones sat with Patriots DE Deatrich Wise. Danny Ainge and Cedric Maxwell were also on hand. It was all too much championship juju for any visitor to overcome.
Tatum reminded us on Sunday can be an NBA superstar without having to score 46 points. Half that total did the job Sunday. Tatum wasn’t even Boston’s top scorer. Williams spent the day floating up and down the soaked parquet at TD Garden. He just kept swimming. Game 7 will be the “Grant Williams Game” for some. And the “Payton Pritchard Game” for others. In this clincher, Antetokounmpo was unable to elevate the game of his teammates. Tatum made everyone better on Sunday when it mattered most.
The Celtics were +25 when Williams was on the floor, being left unprotected by Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton. The Arlington Flash had a rough slog Sunday, scoring just 2 points while the Bucks were -17 during his play. It was an ugly flip side to the two free throws he sank to clinch Game 5.
The Celtics, if healthy, appear to be as deep and talented as any team left in the NBA postseason.
They’re at the point where the season will be a disappointment if they don’t win a championship.
That’s about as Old School Celtics as it gets.
Bill Speros (@ RealOBF) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com