FIRST TAKE | Jayson Tatum, Celtics will beat Bucks to silence his critics – Stephen A. & JJ Redick

FIRST TAKE | Jayson Tatum, Celtics will beat Bucks to silence his critics – Stephen A. & JJ Redick

People don’t know what it’s like dealing with all these Alphas like I need some Grace here it’s going to be good tonight the head to Boston face the Celtics our analytics give a 34% I can take a vacation 34% chance that the Bucks and Celtics be in the Eastern Conference

Finals by far the most likely Conference Finals matchup Jason Tatum is only 26 years old but he’s reached the Eastern Conference Finals four times in NBA Finals once and is 243 Point perform uh 30-point playoff games are the third most in Celtics history behind Larry

Bird and John hav so Chris let me ask you this has Tatum received too much criticism considering he’s only 26 years old you know he’s he’s weird you know how about that game a couple years ago that he had the what’ he have 45 in Milwaukee in game last year he did

Nothing and then in game six in Philly he had a great finish they won the game and then they of course beat them in game seven how many do you have in game seven oh they they killed him in the game a lot a lot of point but they

Killed him I mean Phil Philly was so bad and the other thing is Milwaukee is going to play the Celtics in the in the conference final unless you think Cleveland’s going to beat Milwaukee because Milwaukee is going to be a two or three seed because they three games

Ahead up on the five and a four so Milwaukee if they unless you think Cleveland’s going to beat him Milwaukee is going to be in the conference final and we all think the Celtics going to be in the conference final so that percentage should be more than 34% I’ll

Let you guys Wrangle over that here’s the thing about Tatum okay if you look at the top 10 players in the league right now and I was doing this the other day top 10 in the league where would you put Tatum about eight seven top 10 one

Of the top 10 players in the game well he is one of the top 10 but what number would he be I got to think about it but it certainly wouldn’t be as low as eight in my oh I think it gu it would I don’t

Think so well let’s go through him okay let’s do it yic I love doing this exercise it’s fun we did it last year with Jaylen Brown you got to like 23 oh I have a down on him yeah I know I’m not down on he’s not as good as yic we would

Agree with that correct okay he not goes LeBron we would agree with that at this point at you got even now in a big game oh a big series you’re taking LeBron you’re taking big series well well listen I’m not talking about 82 games I’m talking about a big series life on

The line I’m talking 82 games that does matter that does matter you get reputation in the postseason taking LeBron James post game seven series a seventh game a seven game series right now my life is on the line would I rather have LeBron or Tatum I’m taking

LeBron I’ll go with I can’t I can’t dismiss that but I I I love Tatum’s chances I think you’re dismissing him all right in a seven game series you’re taking Leonard or you’re taking him Leonard’s healthy Ka Leonard hey you can’t say that if Leonard’s healthy when

He never is Durant or Durant or him Durant don’t even don’t even hesitate JJ that’s four I gave you four right off the B well not even thinking without even giving it too much thought right embiid or I’m going with question okay so I haven’t even thought about this Curry

Rotato yeah six so before you even dig into it he’s no better than seven but this isn’t easy these aren’t easy it’s not these aren’t no brainers but but what I have a question then if you’re saying that he’s not a top five player he’s not top five

Not is he better than Giannis he’s not better than then why is he being criticized like a top five player oh that’s a fair argument that’s just getting the money that’s fair that’s a fair point though no it’s not about the money it’s not about the money money Mad

Dog this is in the 1990s Buddy jayen Brown Jaylen Brown the second best play is getting $34 million which is ridiculous okay well it’s today’s marketon it’s all about what the market Bears is he better than jiannis it’s all you know that very well if anybody knows

About Market what a I’m not I’m not listen Mad Dog I’m not here to debate who’s better between he there’s about eight nine players better than he is correct he’s a top 10ish player he’s a top top 10ish player that’s easy he’s also been First Team

All NBA the last two years here’s the thing I think I actually think whether you want to call it criticism or not I think the analysis around him not winning an NBA championship to this point I think it’s fair and I think it’s natural and the reason is because of the

Early success most High lottery picks that are a number three pick don’t walk onto a team that then makes a Conference Finals their rookie year most of the time there’s this growth process everybody’s really excited about this guy and then by year four or five when they’ve had a little bit of playoff

Success we start with the criticism of not winning the big one Jason TB has known nothing but playoffs nothing but deep playoff runs for the six years and so the criticism is fair because that’s what we do for every player Luca donic makes a Conference Final or Conference Finals in

2022 everybody was so bullish on Luca it wasn’t until last year when Dallas struggled after the trade they don’t make even make the play in all of a sudden the chatter starts with Luca this is the natural progression for most players Jason Tatum had earlier success than most players because of the way

That Boston Celtics St piled those draft picks he he joined a team that was already pretty good they get Kyrie Irving he doesn’t he doesn’t play in the playoff years in 2018 they lose in the second round in 2019 right they go back 20 2020 2022 2023 okay I get it I get

The criticism I think it’s fair it’s fair and it’s natural for how we talk about the best players in the world why do you say fair and natural but seem so unhappy when you say that you do I’m not I’m not I’m not you seem unhappy about

It you say it’s fair I do you I give it to you you say it’s fair but you seem unhappy about what you acknowledge is fair my natural state of being is one of an elevated level of expression I got it I got it okay all

Right fine your whole life you know good question you should see me in a locker room oh Lord I have it trust me I know I know but let me say this to you Jason Tatum right now doggy this status for you he’s on track to join Larry Bird as

The only players in Celtics history to average at least 25 points per game in four consecutive years here’s where the fair criticism comes in Larry Bird and that span won three NBA titles and three League MVPs you Jason Tatum you have neither in either category so of course people are

Going to look at it I look at the fact that he’s young as young as he is he’s been to the Conference Finals at least four times four or five times he been on an NBA finals I think what’s knocking him what’s being held against him was his performance in that NBA finals

Against Golden State he wasn’t even the second best player on the court it was Steph Curry it was Jaylen Brown in some people’s eyes obviously you look at it was I think Andrew Wiggins you can sit up there and say he was fourth because Jason Tatum didn’t have that great of a

Series I believe in this kid and I believe that ultimately he’s knocking on the door and ultimately he’s going to kick it down that’s what I believe that’s my personal opinion to get to your point about the fairness of the criticism I think it’s important to let

Our audience know part of what the reason why that criticism yeah you got the fans and the fans are going to be who they are but there’s old school dudes that starred in the league that were predecessors and they religiously bring up to people like myself and others same

Standard don’t change the standard the same way you would hold us accountable make sure you hold others accountable so when LeBron wouldn’t hadn’t won you know in his first seven to eight years or so they would ask that question when Jordan had it one they would ask that question

You know the list goes on and on throughout history people look at that and they say okay the standard is the standard as they say the same way you have the fans the same way you have the media and everybody else holding folks accountable even though the game is

Evolved and changed as you’ve highlighted on many occasions they do remind you of that because they’re talking about the mental de pressure now it’s it’s not not that it’s easy but it’s significantly easier in the eyes of a lot of people if you go out there and you’re performing without the cynic

Without that quote unquote pressure if they had to deal with it they want to make sure you have to deal with it too to see if you can answer the call like they had to it’s a story that doesn’t get told enough but it really really is

True in terms of people in my position and others in the business where you’ve got folks who are Hall of Famers that are champions that was like remember how y’all yeah you know final word okay I’ll get in I’ll get in quick fair I said fair and natural I should have used the

Word normal because it is normal when there’s expectations and that’s what I was referencing with Luca coming off those Conference Finals when there’s expect [Applause] that going be [Applause] he is is for spe Spe foree speee for speech for speech spee foree Oh spe foreign speech foreign spee fore speech spee spee spe for speech speech spee fore Speeech foreign fore speee spee fore hello

FIRST TAKE | Jayson Tatum, Celtics will beat Bucks to silence his critics – Stephen A. & JJ Redick