Tatum pounded his chest in a moment of pure adrenaline for the big bucket that calmed the crowd, crushed hopes of a late 76ers run and was a reminder in crunch time that the six-time NBA All-Star is as close to the elite as he was before a ruptured right Achilles tendon cost him most of the regular season.
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Tatum warned after the Celtics beat the 76ers in Game 3 of their first-round series that no, he is not 100% recovered.
At least not yet.
He could have fooled the Sixers.
With a little help from longtime teammate and fellow NBA champion Jaylen Brown, Tatum scored 25 points and played 42 minutes in the Celtics’ 108-100 victory Friday night to take a 2-1 series lead. Tatum made 5 of 9 3-pointers and combined with Brown to score 19 of the Celtics’ 29 points in the fourth quarter.
“It may not seem like it because I’m back playing, but it was a very, very long time for me not to do what I love to do,” Tatum said. “I can’t stress it enough, just being able to put on the uniform and run with the team is a win for me.”
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Boston also had a pretty big win and bounced back from a surprising Game 2 loss at home that injected a dose of confidence into All-Star Tyrese Maxey and rookie standout VJ Edgecombe to regain home court in the series heading into Sunday’s Game 4 in Philadelphia.
Tatum returned for the final 16 games of the regular season and averaged 21.8 points and shot 41% from the floor. He scored 25 points in Boston’s Game 1 rout and had 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in the Game 2 loss.
Celtics fans (Tatum raised his arm in celebration toward a small group of them near the visitors’ tunnel) want Tatum to be Tatum, like now. Especially if the Celtics are going to win a second NBA title under coach Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla, Tatum and the Celtics know that there is still a process to follow in this comeback and perfect health will not be found in the first round of the playoffs.
Tatum was taken off the court with a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Knicks last season. Surgery the next day led to nearly 10 months of rehabilitation.
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It ended on March 6 with its season debut. Tatum hasn’t said how close he is to 100%, but yes, it’s close.
“Expectations of what people want me to do is the last thing on my mind,” Tatum said. “The amount of joy I’ve been able to find and be there with my teammates is all I can think about.”
Philadelphia returned to play without center Joel Embiid for Game 3 as he continues to return to practice following an appendectomy on April 9.
Maxey scored 31 points and teamed with Paul George and Edgecombe to keep the Sixers afloat in front of a rowdy home crowd that included Allen Iverson and Julius Erving.
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The fans were already on their feet when the Sixers brought the ball down in the fourth and roared when Maxey let a 28-footer fly and connected for an 85-84 lead.
Tatum and Brown, who also scored 25 points, have too much experience, too much talent and too much calm in crunch time to let a little crowd noise and the pesky Sixers rattle them.
Brown scored eight straight points late in the quarter to take a 96-92 lead and passed Robert Parrish and Bill Russell to move into seventh place on Boston’s playoff scoring list with 2,695 points.
“No moment is too big,” Brown said. “Great players make great plays.”
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That didn’t go unnoticed by Maxey, the first Eastern Conference All-Star starter who has valiantly tried to carry the Sixers in Embiid’s absence.
“Down the stretch. They don’t go up or down too much,” Maxey said. “They all know where they’re trying to go. They’ve been together for a while. In our case, you have to fight like hell and push them to the limit.”
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NBA AP: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA