Janice Adetokunmpo and Jason Tatum showed performances for the years on Friday night in their 108-95 victory, while the two All-Stars overshadowed the plateau by 40 points, while the Boston Celtics forced the “do or die” game of the 7th game against the Milwaukee Bucks in Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.
Tatum was fantastic for the Celtics on the night they needed him, as he kept his best performance in a series of elimination matches on the road in what could easily be described as a hostile environment. Tatum overtook Janice by a record 46 points, along with nine rebounds and four assists. While his efforts were at a loss, Adetokunmpo dominated, finishing the game with 44 points, along with an incredible 20 rebounds and six assists.
Match 7 is scheduled for 15:30 ET on Sunday, with ABC running the national show.
Here are three key findings from the game:
1. Tatum presents one of the best performances of his career
Jason Tatum has not always been the best in this series, but the great players do not allow bad games or bad segments to define them. And Tatum has shown this season, especially on Friday night, that he really is a great player. Given the Celtics season, he stepped up and presented one of the best performances of his career.
He started hot, scoring two three points in the first few minutes to help the Celtics find an early lead, but his best and most important job came in the fourth quarter. Once increased by 18, the Celtics’ lead was reduced to four by 8:42 per game and retrospectives from Game 5 began. Tatum made sure there was no second crash.
First, an amazing fading jumper on the baseline to surpass the clock for beats. Then pull with three points right in the face of George Hill. He then repeated the sequence with one more elimination and another 3. In a period of three minutes, he scored 10 consecutive points for the Celtics and returned the lead to eight to give them little room to breathe. The bucks would never come close.
“Yes, he obviously hit some big ones during the game,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka. “Do this and also make the right game … Great evening of him, we definitely needed her.”
Tatum scored 16 points in the fourth quarter alone and finished the night with 46, nine rebounds and four assists in 17 of 32. Tatum’s 46 points was the second highest in the franchise’s history when he faced elimination, and he joined Sam Jones as the only other Celtic to have played a few playoff games with 45 points.
“That’s why they pay him big money,” said Marcus Smart. “He entered another regime right there. We saw it in his eyes. He was aggressive, coming and telling us to give me the ball. We gave him the ball. He asked for it and we will do it. As I said, that’s why they pay him big money. “
Jason Tatum is still only 24 years old. He has a decade or more to go and probably hundreds of playoff games. It will be difficult for him to play better than on Friday night.
2. Janice’s Herculean efforts were not enough
The Bucks were already the toughest team before Chris Middleton fell with an MCL sprain in the first round against the Chicago Bulls, and without him the problem is even more pronounced. His absence forced Janice Adetokunmpo to take on some ridiculous burdens and try to carry the Bucks on her own.
Sometimes in this series he managed to do just that; however, the Bucks won three games. But even the best players can’t always do it alone, as Janice and Bucks found out during Game 6.
Janice was brilliant. He scored 17 points in the first quarter to keep Bucks in the game despite a strong Celtics start, and continued to attack all night. The Celtics could do little to slow him down as he made his way to the paint for thunderbolts and trips to the free throw line.
“Janice was great for them,” said Jaylan Brown. “Relentless in his approach. He will continue, he will continue to attack. His condition is great, he doesn’t seem to get as tired as the others. He just keeps coming.”
The Greek freak finished with 44 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists, shot 14/15 from the free throw line and became the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001 to play 40-20 in the playoffs.
Janice had an astonishing 45.2 percent utilization rate – his highest ever in playoffs – and scored or assisted for 52 of Bucks’ 95 points. It was really a Herculean effort and it wasn’t enough. Jrue Holiday and Pat Connaughton were the only other players to score in double digits, but neither scored more than 17 points. The Bucks missed Middleton throughout the series, but never more than Game 6.
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3. The Celtics show determination after the crash of game 5
The Celtics had to come to Milwaukee to end the series on Friday night. Instead, they were the ones facing elimination after a late collapse in Game 5, which saw them make a 13-point lead at home in the fourth quarter. Recovering from a heartbreaking defeat like this requires great determination, self-belief, and mental endurance.
After preventing the elimination of the road, it is clear that the Celtics have all of the above.
“I think it was a bit stinging, losing this game that way,” said Jason Tatum. “Everyone had bad taste in their mouths. Watching movies, learning from him and impatience – we were optimistic. We were not defeated, knowing that we still have the opportunity to save our season and come in here and win. We believed in it, we really did it. We believed in each other and that showed tonight. “
The work is far from over. Defeating the best player in the world for the second game in a row to eliminate the defending champions will not be easy and the Celtics will have to regroup again for game 7 at home on Sunday. Still, a show like this on Friday night says a lot about the character of this band.
“It was a big moment for all of us,” Tatum said. “For me and the team, exactly how we will react. The loss in match 5 would make us or break us. We showed a lot of firmness and growth by coming out here and we won on the road. “
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