The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors did not disappoint last night. In their second, and final meeting of the regular season, and yet another 2021-2022 Finals rematch, the home team came out victorious. Respectfully. The Boston Celtics proved why they are the top dogs in the NBA right now – whether you like it, or not. Thursday night’s meeting, which kicked off a doubleheader on TNT, between the rivals from the East and West, was extremely fulfilling to watch. Not just as a Celtics fan, but as a basketball fan.
The match-up had a little bit of razzle and dazzle in every moment, of every quarter. Yes, there were turnovers on both sides but there were also clutch free throws, buzzer-beating buckets, explosive defensive stops, horrible refereeing, and just electrifying energy in TD Garden. Al Horford proved that age ain’t nothin’ but a number, Steph Curry continued to prove why he’s going down as one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen, and Jayson Tatum showed us that he is truly on a path to being one of the greatest to wear a Celtics jersey. Tatum’s final stats from the night? 34 points, 19 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Coach Joe Mazzulla gave insight into his decision to play Tatum for damn nearly the game’s entirety.
Joe Mazzulla takes us inside the riveting conversation with Jayson Tatum deciding he would play almost the entire game: "I looked at him, he looked at me, and we just kinda said yeah. So that was it."
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) January 20, 2023
☘️’s fans I really rock with y’all lol hope feeling is mutual 🤝🤞🏽… last night was a blast pic.twitter.com/3o9vXtAOOl
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) January 20, 2023
It also proved that Jaylen Brown is just as capable to have an explosive (& clutch) offensive game. And that he can hold his own, even as part of a dynamic duo that is currently leading the Celtics to another playoff run. Let’s not make light of the fact that Brown was missing from the line-up for a week due to a right adductor injury prior to last night’s game. He had absolutely no problem getting back into the game at full throttle.
JAYLEN BROWN FORCES OT. pic.twitter.com/qP6ZhBxs9X
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 20, 2023
The elite level of basketball these two squads displayed on Boston’s parquet floor was phenomenal. Even the undeniable tension between the players turned up a notch. While it was the last time these teams would meet in the regular season, we wouldn’t be surprised if they faced off at some point in the postseason – if the Warriors can inch their way back up from their current ninth-seed placement.
All basketball and business aside, also check out this post-game love between Jayson Tatum’s son, Deuce, and Draymond Green.
