Putting PRESSURE on Jayson Tatum to lead the Celtics + NBA Finals predictions 🏀 | First Take

Putting PRESSURE on Jayson Tatum to lead the Celtics + NBA Finals predictions 🏀 | First Take

how much pressure is on Tatum to win it all UD um I think it’s an extreme amount of pressure I mean one thing you can say is it’s supposed to be fun it’s not fun until you hold that Trophy up it’s not fun until you get to that parade none of that none of the process is fun it’s some sleepless nights you winning it you hanging your hat on every win and every loss in the playoff push so it is not fun when you’re going through that through that process but what I will say is he should want that pressure he he should want that pressure on himself because there’s only a few organizations that truly come into the season every year with the mindset to push and to prepare and to go for a championship and the Boston Celtics are one of those organizations that every single year no matter what the roster they are pushing and their mindset is to win a championship also you look at the pieces that they put around them you knew they could have got back to the Eastern Conference Finals and possibly the finals if you keep Marcus Smart but you move a Marcus Smart a former Defensive Player of the Year you bring in a k so you bring in these pieces and what do teams do they bring in pieces to complement their best players now what we’re used to and what I’m used to in the past are the best players elevating the level of the players around them but this is a situation where you brought in some great players you brought in a Drew holiday you brought in a KP so there is no excuse for you not to win you have everything that you need to win oh and also you didn’t really play that well in the last finals so I think it’s a lot of pressure on Jason Tatum right now to go out there and play for himself one and secondly because you wearing that Celtics Jersey where there’s an expectation every year even though it’s unrealistic there’s an expectation every year to put a championship up there I understand the expectation because of the organization and it being the Boston Celtics but for Jason Tatum the pressure is just for him to perform well he has to play at a high level and be impactful on the floor not pass up opportunities to attack and put pressure on the rim not settle for jumpers he has to be aggressive and he has to bring that Domin mindset alongside Jaylen Brown that’s fine but Jason Tatum for me this is his second finals we act like he’s been there a multitude of times this is his second time being in the finals so just this big expectation that he’s supposed to go out and win it and we also can’t forget what’s on the other side the five beside the Dallas Mavericks is very deceiving I understand that they were the five seed coming into the playoffs but they were a five seed because of the totality of the Season they’re not a five seed because of this team that they have recently put together after the trade deadline I had someone the other day talking to me about the last time Boston played Dallas was it early March they were like oh Boston blew him out the last time they played Daniel Gafford only played six minutes in that game Dallas has figured out their rotations Dallas has figured out who they go to what their rotations are their defensive scheme their offensive scheme this is a elite Dallas team with the best player in the finals on the opposite side and to me the most experienced player in the finals on the opposite side when it comes to Kyrie Irving and Luca dones so for Jason Tatum the expectation to win is there because it’s Boston but the biggest pressure point for him is just to play well and be dominant and be the best player on the floor for Boston what what I say to this real quick go ahead goad I just I will say I I will say that to this he has played well but we continue to move the goalpost for Jason Tatum we we continue as a as a culture and as basketball critics and fans we continue to move the goal post for Jason Tatum so I don’t know if playing well is enough at this point because he has played well he played well in the last series and we gave the trophy to Jaylen Brown who played well and was probably the most consistent player but he played well in the last series but he still got criticism because he didn’t play well the first couple games so we’ve seen him play well we’ve seen him put up numbers and that’s expected to him well what else what’s next let me say this to you UD because I don’t agree with you there and in your case Andrea I think that what you said was accurate but incomplete when it come first let me address Andrea’s point no you’re absolutely right it’s not about winning a title per se but you can’t be the reason we lost okay like you can’t be the reason so in other words we have to look at your game and if you’re Jason Tatum we have to look at your game in the NBA finals and literally say oh they damn sure didn’t lose because of him yeah so whatever Luca does whatever Kyrie does whatever anybody else does we got to look at you and say yo this brother did his thing now you might average 35 and busting their living you know what and still lose because Luca and Kyrie’s too much but you got to do it that’s in other words you got to do that point we gotta say you we can’t look at Jason Tatum and say he should have done more that’s all I mean by that now let me get to you UD first let me throw out these numbers Jason Tatum NBA Finals 21 and a half Point 6.8 rebounds seven assists and the finals lost to Golden State right shot 46% from threo range only 34% in the paint though and 26% from mid-range couldn’t find outside of the three-point shot nothing was working for him in that series overall 37% field goal shooting in the 2022 NBA Finals right second worst ever in a playoff series for him right and then here’s the biggest thing close out game six lost to Golden State on your home turf 13 points six for 18 shooting zero free throw attempts more turnovers five than rebounds three So when you say moving goalpost where I disagree with you is nobody moved the goalpost they just stayed right there in other words these are the finals UD D you’ve been in a few of them okay you got a few rings it it’s the finals and it’s like yo every series precedes that had you done this in the Conference Finals then we would look at you now that you got to the finals and we would say all right the problem is what happened with him happened in the finals and this is your fifth Conference Finals that you just completed so we’re looking at it and we’re saying okay here’s it here it is it’s Championship EUR boys and Celtics we know Jason Tatum’s great great guy great player you know a a face of the league with all these damn commercials that he’s got well earned by the way nobody’s throwing any shade on them we’re simply looking for the final nail of Confirmation and validation that says you are what we think you are that’s it there’s no moving of the gold poost we’re reminding him the gold poost is right where it’s been for years and you have yet to go through it you got to do it that’s all we’re saying Irving’s got some history with the Seas after spending two seasons in Boston telling fans that he’d resign following that 2019 season however Kai resigned with the Brooklyn Nets instead and has been met with plenty of booze at TD Garden we know those Boston fans go hard Kyrie 0 and 10 against the Celtics Stephen what do you think the reception should be from Boston tonight how should they treat Kyrie I think it should be vicious I don’t have a problem saying that I mean vicious but obviously within reason don’t don’t do anything physical or stupid or whatever they should Boo the hell out of them they shouldn’t they they shouldn’t like him they should want to despise him because he was a star his first season they averaged 24 and five in the 60 games he played for them his exact quote to them is if you guys will have me back I plan on resigning here next summer and then infamously departed to go to Brooklyn okay you’re the Boston Celtics you’re you’re one of the most story franchise in basketball anals and then you obviously see the history that he has with them therea in terms of stomping on the on the leprechaun and all of this other stuff but what I’m saying is that I’m speaking purely in basketball context they shouldn’t like a thing about him because he is starring for someone other than them it’s it’s it’s a form of respect to be indifferent and silent and Mel or whatever it is about him even isn’t giv him the respect his greatness the man that greatness of Kyrie Irving is supposed to be in a Boston Celtics uniform and if you’re the Boston Celtics you should resent the fact that he’s doing it for somebody else and want to do everything you can to beat him both team impressive on their paths to leading to this point UD who do you think should be favored in these finals I think Boston should be favored they’ve been the best team in basketball all season historic on both ends of the basketball court usually when a team can guard they can’t score or they can score they can’t defend they’ve been able to do it on both ends of the floor so I think Boston definitely should be favored well I think they should be favored too that don’t mean I think they going to win I me they should be they they they they should be favorite well that’s the first question they’re the better team Boston Celtics should be with brown with pum with Derek white and Drew holiday as a back for they should be FV I I I get we’re both you were saying and I know people are going to probably give me a lot of especially Boston fans and and I understand Boston has the better team and they’ve had that all season long but this Dallas group since the trade deadline has had a phenomenal record they’re playing extremely well they’ve been tested throughout the playoffs against teams that have won more than 50 games during the regular season and they’ve been healthy I know Luca has been hobbled but Boston having to bring christops porzingis back into the mix yes it could go wonderfully and that’s great for Boston but it also could be something that gives them a little bit of trouble early Boston hasn’t protected home court they were competing in a competitive game when they wi by three against a Ty Reese halberton list Pacers team they lost to a Jimmy Butler Heat team that were missing him so when I think about the way these teams are playing and UD I know that’s your team I’m not dissing The Heat I’m not saying they shouldn’t have beat Boston I’m just saying the way these two teams are playing coming in and what I’ve seen from them I personally think Mavs have the edge and the Mavs are fav all right all right let’s pick it UD you’re up first who do you have winning the whole darn thing Dallas I got Dallas winning I think Dallas is deeper you talk about they got exm on the bench they got green coming off the bench they got Lively coming off the bench Tim Hardway Jr who doesn’t get much playing time is also coming off the bench I think they can guard these guys better often times NBA playup games about matchups I just think they match up better they can switch pick and rolls and take them out of all the triggers and on the other end I think Dallas is going to attack porz all right real quick and how many games and who’s the finals MVP quickly seven games and I got Luca being the MVP okay Stephen A go through it I got the Mavs in six okay in Dallas can’t see uh anybody going to game seven in Boston in that environment and winning for NBA championship on the line um and I’m going to have to go with Luca I think Kyrie will warrant consideration but Luca is obviously a global IC all right I’m going Celtics and six Finals MVP wow going against the gra I love that I love that VI it’s really interesting y’all said Boston’s favored but you both picked Dallas so I understand that I’m going Dallas also Luca MVP and six okay Hey Stephen A I know a team that won a game seven on Dall on Boston floor you did but not in the finals I said the finals not the Conference Finals it was the East it was the Eastern Conference Finals I know that but I was talking to finers you know like when the Lakers played against Boston that kind of environment I’m just letting you know ain’t nobody I’m just letting you know ain’t nobody scared to go in there game seven I’m just letting you know that I just want to make sure I got this right so you all have the Mavs in six yeah you said seven I got him in seven I got him in seven seven okay [Music]

Putting PRESSURE on Jayson Tatum to lead the Celtics + NBA Finals predictions 🏀 | First Take

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Udonis Haslem and Andraya Carter join Molly Qerim to preview the 2024 NBA Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.

0:00 Pressure on Jayson Tatum
4:01 Stephen A. weighs in
6:58 How should Celtics fans handle Kyrie Irving?
8:18 Which team should be favored?

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