Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis On Christmas Day Win Over LeBron James And Lakers
Jon Tatum after the Celtics Christmas Day win over the Lakers the Rival and what’s that like how do you guys stay focused on the basketball yeah uh as a basketball fan you understand the uh the importance of the Celtics and Lakers rivalry what it means to our organizations what it means to
Basketball what it means to the NBA so there’s always a little extra meaning um behind those matchups and uh then for it to be on Christmas uh you know gave it that much more pop so it was uh you know you love to be a part of those games
Those moments and uh today was a lot of fun Jason you’ve talked a lot about in the past you know how Kobe has inspired you and to you know have this kind of a win on Christmas Day at Staple Center now crypto uh what is the significance
Of that for you um it’s a dream come true I never take these moments for granted you know as a kid I watch your Lakers you know my whole life growing up and I always dreamed of playing in Staple Center so um any opportunity I
Get to um you know I get I cherish those moments uh getting to play in the building that you know my idol played in hey Jason there’s obviously such an established core on this team were you surprised by how quickly Drew and KP had
Fit in uh no I say that meaning uh you know the court that we had really talented group and uh you just add to really talented high IQ basketball players and uh we all know how to play the game and it was just a matter of
Time of uh you know us jelling together and we uh we’ve done it pretty well so far and I mean we’ve been playing really really well and uh you know hopefully it’s not our best basketball yet because we still have a lot of basketball to go
But uh I love where we’re at you know obviously as a team yeah uh uh long way to go but through 29 best record in the NBA what do you read to that if anything I mean we got a really good team um we got a lot of great individual players and uh
You know we’ve been playing for the most part you know really good basketball and you know we expected that we expected to be good you know we worked hard this training camp and uh beginning of the Season you know we obviously know what our ultimate goal is and I feel like you
Know we’re just trying to get better every day Jared Mark been going up against LeBron literally your whole career we used to talk about guys you’re looking up to like Kawai PG guys to model your game after LeBron’s obviously the most complete guy tonight both of you guys
Weren’t really hitting your shots so you had to find kind of every other way to win so what was it like for you trying to think the game going up against like one of the great thinkers and how’ you feel about just the different ways you
Impacted yeah uh I mean like you said you got to give LeBron a lot of credit uh he’s been you know the most complete player um in the game for a very very long time um and it’s a lot that you can learn from a guy like him uh you know
Obviously the way that he thinks the game two three steps ahead of everybody else um and as a younger player just always trying to find ways to impact the game you know you’re not always going to make shots but still want to be the best player and dominate um the game in
Different ways every single night um so that’s why I tried to do tonight how how how much has KP just change the way you guys play out there in terms of how they defend him the matchups out there and the the the way that the space that he creates for everybody else yeah
I think uh we we haven’t had a low post presence like that since I’ve been on the Celtics and I think it just creates so many problems um you know are you going to switch us are you gonna be in drop because if you’re in drop then you know when the big
Gets back to KP he’s planning the close out and he’s so uh you know he can move so well put somebody smaller on him obviously he can shoot over the top so uh and then do you help do you double team him you kick it out to myself D white KP
JB um so you know I’m just happy to be on this side of it uh you know cuz I think we present a lot of problems on that end last question Gary Jason when you don’t you don’t need to have a it’s getting to the you don’t need to have a
40-point game to to win games like this when you’re not your your best offensively how kind of of a relief is it that Derek and Drew obviously Chris staps can come through and just kind of score the buckets and you can do other things yeah I mean I say it all the time
We have a really really good team and uh we all just kind of make it easier on each other uh Joe says it you know success is going to look different for different guys every single night we all um we all sacrifice um to to be a better team to
Be a better group and you know hopefully it’s going to pay off in uh in the end christops porzingis after the Celtics Chrismas day win over the Lakers good uh ankle’s good um bounced back pretty quickly and uh felt no like limitations in the game there were a lot of stars on the
Court today the best game of everyone on Christmas day which is a big deal what’s it like for you to have this kind of a an afternoon uh very happy about the the game we had as a team I thought D white was excellent too tonight um and
Honestly we we we played we played really good basketball we just did not make or we did not shoot what we normally shoot from outside uh but other than that I think we played really well and um and it was a fun game it was
A fun game I enjoyed enjoyed it and and uh got one more win on the road so great cers game you was talking about Derek white he was like man I didn’t realize Derek white was that nice is that the same for you and then you know
How is it playing alongside Drew and Derek white I think D white in the last five games is averaging close to like three blocks per game how is it defensively with him and you being in the low man too as well and just explain that no I’m kind of the same way with
Like I didn’t realize how good D white was uh you know he’s kind of like under the radar a little bit uh but man he’s special like the way he plays like how I don’t know 90 plus% of the time he makes the right play all the time you know and
That’s that’s the perfect teammate you want you know and and on top of that he’s shooting great percentages and and being super efficient I mean yeah he’s he’s special man and and I’m happy that I have both of those guys on my team team juen and D way you mentioned theint shooting
Tonight there’s times in the past with this team where it’s like if the three-pointers don’t go in three-pointers go in you’re going to win if they don’t you could lose um this this group it seems like it’s not necessarily defined by that that standard what do you think is allowing
You guys to overcome a bad shooting night here and there uh good question I think maybe we’re like um we’re like a really like powerful engine you know and we have maybe not a good but the um I think we just have that margin of like we were that if the
Threes were falling tonight we probably would have it would have been a you know plus 20 plus 25 game you know for us but because they were not falling it was a bit closer so I think we’re on those nights when they are falling and things are clicking we’re just that good and
And that’s the reality how I feel right now you know and and and of course as I always say there’s always going to be ups and downs in some games and and then people are going to overreact and say oh no they’re you know but but we have to
Stay like this and and and keep improving with each game uh keep making steps forward in terms of you know our play and our our discipline and and then in the long run we’ll be fine just kind of what you’re saying about Derek like how does that happen where somebody can
Be so underrated or under the radar I guess is it is it situational and is there maybe similarities just in in your own Journey too where just in certain situations you look one way or another like this you look at it comes across differently I think uh definitely like situation no but
Um yeah like Market you know now you’re in a bigger market and even for myself too like um you know I’m playing good basket good playing good basketball but last season I played also good basketball but no nobody really maybe saw that you know uh so I think it’s
Maybe for D white it’s similar case um and also he has you know been improving and and and he’s he has been playing incredible this whole season but especially this last stretch and and and and and yeah and I think maybe it doesn’t stand out because the stats are
Not incredible they’re good they’re not incredible that jumping J but when you watch the game those people really appreciate what he’s doing on the court and people who understand really appreciate what he’s doing powerful analogy you guys the pace the way you push it in the um in the
Third quarter much of the second half and Joe talked about Reinventing the offense on this trip has that been successful and what does that do for you guys I think so I mean lately we’ve been starting to run a bit more get out and transition a bit more
Um that makes a difference for us for sure um and yeah even the games that we have not been as quick to get out we’re still effective in the half court but I think it makes a difference when we do get out and we give the ball to JB to just go
And create and and and and or D to go in get in the paint finish N1 all this kind of stuff or kick out for wide open threes so I think we’re even more dangerous when when we do get out and and and run Derek said that a big part
Of the game was when they started putting you on the elbow so you can play make and open up the court how much did you enjoy tonight being kind of the guy that could change the geometry of the game based on where you were playing uh yeah I mean it’s it’s honestly it’s
Very easy to to play with those guys we think uh now we’re with Christmas time now um I think the more we get to play together the more I will be able to make those reads and the better our like three fourman actions will be uh tonight
Was a was a good example I think they were struggling to kind of figure out how they’re going to stop us and and yeah I was just you know if JD is not there look at Dy Dy is not there one of those you know kind of elbow actions I
Just went to JB you know and and then JB is dangerous there where he can come off or he can get go back door and so we have so many options so many weapons that it’s it’s tough to prepare for us what’s the matchup historically with you and Anthony Davis like he obviously
He’s a tough guy to stop but you kind of matched him you were able to get putbacks what’s that been like over the years dealing with him it’s a big challenge for sure you know this guy is one of the best bigs in the league and
Um and yeah we we we did all kinds of different stuff with him today you know mostly we were starting smaller and then I was coming off uh from the like weak side to block and and alter his shots um you know there’s there’s a you know
Those two guys are at a different level LeBron and AD and and um so but you know the game’s going to go through them especially when LeBron was out uh you know you know the ad is going to get those touches and he’s going to score but um we did a
Decent job on him you know and and and and made sure that the rest of the team nobody really goes off and does anything crazy and and there you go we we came came up would have win
Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum, and Kristaps Porziņģis speak to media after Celtics beat LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers in Christmas day showdown. Celtics postgame interview. Celtics game today.
