FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. has a blunt message for Jayson Tatum ahead of the Bucks vs. Celtics matchup

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. has a blunt message for Jayson Tatum ahead of the Bucks vs. Celtics matchup

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 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 match up Jason Tatum is only 26 years old but he’s reached the Eastern Conference Finals four times in NBA Finals once and is 243 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 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 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 yes it would I don’t

Think so well let’s go through him okay let’s do it yic I love doing this exercise 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’s not goes LeBron we would agree with that at this point at you got even now a big game oh in 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 your life

On the line I’m talking 82 G cuz 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 LeBron because of experience 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 him Durant don’t even don’t even hesitate JJ that’s four I gave you four right off the bat without even thinking without even giving it too much thought embiid or I’m going I’m going with him be question okay so I haven’t even

Thought about this Curry R 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 not 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 Yannis 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 not about money Mad Dog this is in the 1990s Buddy jayen Brown is Jaylen Brown the second best play is getting 304 million which is ridiculous okay well it’s today’s market milon it’s all about what the market Bears is he better than jiannis 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 or any player he there’s about eight nine players better than he is correct he’s a top tennish player he’s a top top tennish 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 tanb has known nothing but playoffs nothing but deep playoff runs for the years and so the criticism is fair because that’s what we do for every

Player Luca donic makes a Conference Final 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 stockpiled 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 how do you say fair and natural but seem so

Unhappy when you say that you do angry about 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 here 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

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 cynics 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 inck 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 expectations with the best player on one

Of the best teams this is what exists right what bothers me at times is this idea that he hasn’t been clutch or been great in big moments you referenc game that’s not true game six against the Bucks game six last year fourth quarter of Philly game seven against Philly he’s

1 in in the last two postseasons he’s 13 of 27 in clutch time five of 11 from three this guy’s had a ton of big moments in his career yes a ton of big moments in his career I totally agree I believe in Jason tat but he hasn’t he’s

Had the moments has he had a postseason or a series with championships on the line you say ah there’s the best player in basketball that you might say that doggy all I was say all I would say to you is this you down 32 in G to perform way that he performed I

Mean it’s about moments more so than I’ve seen plenty of dudes that average 30 in a postseason and you didn’t see them in the last two minutes closing the deal prating conversation but I got some business to take care of coming up on first take the Steelers made Moves what

You want to pay the bills or what and Shut down you have been defeated an ally has been defeated enemy double kill your team has destroyed a tower Our base Tower is under attack for the battle an enemy has been defeated shut down double kill scre here Ni Your team has destroyed a tower you have been defeated an enemy has been defeated nice assist your team has destroyed a tower enemy double kill an ally has been defeated enemy Onslaught aast an ally has been defeated dead my life reborn for the Battle infinite Slayer has appeared our base Tower is under attack battle your tower has been destroyed an enemy has been defeated enemy ultimate shut down shut down goes on nice assisting an enemy has been defeated face an enemy has been Defeated An ally has been Defe Burn by enemy double kill you have been defeated ultimate your team has destroyed a tower caners have spawned on flot nice assist Got The past is a dream tomorrow is a new Day one of these days I’ll find my own here we go you have been defeated an ally has been defeated reborn for the Battle Been defeated enemy Ultimate Enemy double Kill my life reborn for the battle your tower has been destroyed enemy onl Crush you Surge my life reborn for the battle title protection you have been defeated enemy ultimate my life reborn for the battle yes out the way here we go title protection shot down enemy blood back an ally has been defeated return to the ocean my life reborn for the battle enemy

Ultimate our base is under Attack Defeat

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. has a blunt message for Jayson Tatum ahead of the Bucks vs. Celtics matchup