For Jayson Tatum , the memories remain vivid about how painful it was for him and the Boston Celtics to come up short in the 2022 NBA Finals. In the special episode on The Old Man and The Three podcast, JT confessed that losing against the Golden State Warriors two years ago sent him crashing to rock bottom.
"For me it was the lowest moment in my career because getting to the championship is hard enough," he said . "At that moment, it was the hardest thing I ever did and to feel like I didn't have enough to win was like depressing. You start to have a little bit of doubt about yourself like, you never guaranteed to have another shot. So that was the fear part of it. Not like losing, it's just like, will I ever get back there?"
A dream season ended with a crushing collapse
The 2021-22 campaign was a dream season for Tatum and the Celtics. After a rough first few months, they shocked the entire NBA by bursting for a strong late-season push that instantly made them a legitimate title contender.
As a No. 2 seed, they had a heck of a playoff path en route to the NBA Finals. They dismantled the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving Brooklyn Nets via a first-round sweep, survived in a seven-game war to oust the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee in the second round, and ultimately won by inches against the Miami Heat in a grueling Conference Finals showdown.
All the momentum was on JT and the C's side as they faced the Warriors . Yet despite being the much more talented group on paper, they couldn't hang on against Golden State's battle-tested experience. Tons of critical mishaps, including a chaotic Game 4 loss , impacted their chances. In the end, the Dubs eliminated them in six games in front of the TD Garden crowd to clinch their fourth title in the last eight seasons.
It was indisputably a disastrous series for Tatum, as he was nowhere to be found when it mattered the most. The Duke product failed to step in as Boston's leading man, averaging 21.5 points on an uncharacteristic 36.7% shooting clip from the field.
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A perfect redemption
The failure to win it all in 2022 just sets up Tatum and Co. for the success they were seeking in the 2023-24 campaign. With Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White behind him, JT and the Celtics dominated the season from start to finish, hammering a historic year that saw them win 64 games. They conquered this year's NBA Playoffs easily and won that elusive title by beating the Dallas Mavericks on the title stage.
While their loss against the Warriors will still sting a bit, Tatum can only be happy that they bounced back at the best possible time this year by giving Boston its 18th banner. It was a fulfilling journey that sealed his legacy as one of the league's biggest stars.
Related: "It made me realize how hard you have to work to get there" - Jayson Tatum reflects on the 2022 NBA Finals
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