The Boston Celtics, despite letting a 20-point lead slip away for the second game in a row, still had a great chance to win Game 2 against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. After Jalen Brunson made a free throw to put the Knicks up 91-90, the Celtics had the ball with about 17 seconds to go— plenty of time to make a go-ahead bucket or even foul after a miss with a chance to tie it afterwards.
Of course, none of the above happened. Head coach Joe Mazzulla neglected to call a timeout. The Celtics gave the ball to Jayson Tatum, who danced around for most of the clock before aimlessly driving to the baseline. Once there, he tried to pass the ball out and turned it over. Game over. Celtics lose.
Tatum did not speak to the media after the game to explain what went sideways because a fire alarm went off at TD Garden before his press conference. He did discuss the failed possession on Thursday, though, and explained what went wrong before he and the rest of the team head to New York for the next two games.
"I just kind of made the wrong read. Went into a crowded area," Tatum said, via Zack Cox of the Boston Herald. "I take responsibility for us not being able to get a shot up at the end of the game."
Tatum's mistakes multiplied on the game's deciding possession. By not trying to score sooner, he prevented the Celtics from being able to foul and extend the game. Then he forced his way into an inescapable situation and got cornered by two of the NBA's top wing defenders in Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. It really could not have gone worse for the superstar, and the brutal endgame sequence only exacerbated his poor play to start this series; Tatum is averaging 18 points per game on 28.6% shooting from the floor against the Knicks so far.
Game 3 will be on Saturday and may be Tatum's final opportunity to bounce back before Boston finds itself on the brink of elimination.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jayson Tatum Explains What Went Wrong on Failed Final Possession of Game 2 Loss.
