Jayson Tatum wrote himself into the NBA history books with a record-breaking display to help the Boston Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals with a 4-3 series win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the only semi-final battle to go the distance, Tatum hit a staggering 51 points - the most ever in a playoff Game Seven - to propel the Celtics to a dominant 112-88 success at TD Garden.
Following a below-par Game Six - where he had a mere three points on 1-of-13 shooting in the first three quarters - the 25-year-old broke the previous short-lived record held by Golden State Warriors talisman Steph Curry, who had only topped the charts two weeks ago with a 50-point haul against the Sacramento Kings in the first round.
Tatum admitted that his underwhelming performance in Game Six was playing on his mind at TD Garden, telling ESPN: "I was really excited just for the moment, to be able to come out and play today.
"It definitely was on my mind that I had played as bad as it could get for 42, 43 minutes. We have a saying, 'It's only up from here.' Going into Game 6 -- it sounds crazy, I was too locked in.
"I was too tight. I was too in my own head thinking about what I need to do. How many points I need to score. It's a big moment. And today I was more myself.
JAYSON TATUM HAS 51 POINTS 😱
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2023
THE MOST EVER IN A GAME 7. HISTORY.
📺: Live on ABC pic.twitter.com/7CHmfr0GiE
"Pre-game, I was relaxed, laughing, joking. That's when I play my best, when I'm having fun. I just tried not to think about the pressure, what everybody is going to say. Just focus on the game and having fun."
The Celtics faced a 29-23 deficit after the first quarter but rallied well against an ailing 76ers offence, who only managed a mere 10 points during the entirety of the third quarter, where Tatum racked up 17 alone.
The 25-year-old also led Joe Mazzulla's side in rebounds (13) and assists (five) as the 17-time champions reached the Conference finals for the second season running, having fallen to the Warriors in last year's NBA Finals.
A productive evening for Jaylen Brown also saw the 26-year-old post 25 points, but the plaudits unsurprisingly went to Tatum, whose historic display was hailed as "unbelievable" by 76ers head coach Rivers.
When asked if he had witnessed any other player generate an equally dominant individual display in the playoffs, Rivers responded: "I've seen one. And it was in this building, unfortunately. And it was LeBron [James].
"That's the only time I've seen a performance like that live and I'm glad that I haven't seen many. ... [Tatum was] unbelievable."
The Celtics now prepare for an Eastern Conference showdown with the Miami Heat for a place in the NBA Finals against either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers, who commence their Western Conference final on Tuesday night.
Ben Knapton
