The 24-year-old Tatum is evolving wildly. In the past, he was more regarded as a scorer. In this year’s playoffs, Tatum not only showed his passing ability, but also greatly improved his defensive skills. In the case of poor touch, Tatum can still influence the team and help the team win in other ways.
The Green Army stubbornly reversed the Nets in the second game of the series on April 21. Tatum had an average touch, scoring 19 points and making 5 of 16 shots. However, he made his mark at the crucial moment of the game. With 3:21 left in the game, he fouled Irving and made two free throws. After missing Durant’s shot, he broke through to score. Durant failed to make a three-pointer, and Tatum made another three-pointer.
Tatum scored 7 points in a row, helping the Celtics rewrite the score to 108-96, leading by as much as 12 points, and the game lost its suspense. Tatum once again showed his power at a critical moment. In the first game of the playoffs, Tatum staged a lore at a critical moment, and in this battle, he scored 7 points in a row for the Green Army to establish the victory.
In contrast, in the two playoffs, Tatum’s performance at critical moments was better than that of the Nets double star Durant and Irving.
Tatum was in charge of defending Durant. In the second game, Tatum’s attack against Durant lasted for 10 minutes and 33 seconds, and Durant was restricted miserably. Durant made 0 of 7 shots, 0 of 1 from 3-point range, and made 3 turnovers. Durant only got 4 points from free throws. In this series, Durant made 2 of 13 shots against Tatum’s defense.
Is this still omnipotent, attacking the ferocious Durant? Let’s see how miserable Durant is. Durant played 42 minutes in the second game, made 4 of 17 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 18 of 20 free throws, and scored 27 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, including 0 of 10 shots in the second half. In the two games of this series, Durant made 13 of 41 shots and shot only 31.7% from the field. Durant scored 13 goals in the past two playoff games, while the Green Army veteran Horford scored 14 goals. For the first time in his 13-year career, Durant shot under 40 percent from the field in two consecutive games (including the regular season and the playoffs) with six turnovers per game.
“Some nights it’s like that, but you have to be ready for anything. Opponents did a good job cutting off my points, limiting my shots. They did a good job, but we’ll figure it out.” Duran Said reluctantly.
Durant also complained: “When I’m off the ball, they sometimes put two or three people next to me. No matter where I go, there are two or three people who look after me.”
The Celtics are relying on the strength of the team to limit Durant, but Tatum is the main defense. The 24-year-old Tatum has done it brilliantly.
Great superstars must be both offensive and defensive. Tatum already has excellent offensive ability, but if he wants to reach the true super-giant level, he must make his abilities more comprehensive. Tatum’s defense has come a long way. Tatum’s idol is Kobe, and Kobe’s defense is top-notch, often making the All-Defensive Team.
The greats Jordan, Kobe, James, Durant and Antetokounmpo are both offensive and defensive stars. Tatum’s defense was mediocre when he debuted, and now his defense is eye-catching. You know, defending Durant is not easy, let alone defending Durant so badly.
“It’s not easy,” Tatum said. “You can’t give him open shots, find rhythm shots and stuff like that. So you just follow the game plan — we can make it as hard as possible for him.”
Celtics coach Udoka is satisfied with the effect of defending Durant.
“I think we did it,” Udoka said. “We got him on defense and offense to try and bring him down.”
In this game, Durant suffered too many confrontations, and Tatum and Durant were fighting throughout the game, which caused Durant’s physical fitness to decline significantly in the second half. In contrast, the 24-year-old Tatum has more energy at the critical moment in the final quarter. This is why Tatum scored 7 points in a row to seal the victory at the last minute, while Durant made 0 of 10 shots in the second half. There were also 4 errors.
Restricting Durant is equivalent to having a half chance of success.
The Nets must liberate Durant and let him release energy, otherwise it will be difficult to make a comeback. “I’m just going to take Durant to where he’s good at and make the game easier, and I’m sure I can do that with the help of the coaches and have a game plan on offense and defense,” Irving said. We’re going up against the No. 1 defense in the league. They’ve proven that, so it’s not easy, but it can be done.”
In addition to defense, Tatum’s organizational skills have also evolved greatly. He had 8 assists in the first game and 10 assists in the second game. Tatum is now averaging 9.0 assists per game, ranking third in the playoffs in assists, trailing only Paul and Harden.
This is another peculiar phenomenon. Tatum has also become a point forward? James is the representative of the point forward. Antetokounmpo also has organizational skills. When he debuted, he was arranged by the coach to play a point guard, but later the position was fixed as a power forward. Durant also has good playmaking skills, but he prefers to attack.
Tatum is a player who pays attention to team play. After his assist ability improves, he enjoys creating opportunities for his teammates. In the second game with the Nets, Tatum didn’t feel well, but he affected the game with defense and assists. He guarded Durant 0 for 7 and also sent 10 assists. That’s what a superstar should be, using a variety of means to help a team win.
Now Tatum is getting more and more superstar style, more and more superstar temperament. The Green Army also ushered in the opportunity to hit the championship. (Sports Weekly)Return to Sohu, see more
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