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BOSTON – Before appearing in his second NBA Finals on Thursday, Celtics star Jayson Tatum was asked if there is a different level of pressure playing for a franchise that is trying to claim an NBA record with the 18th championship this month.
He did not hesitate in his response.
“I mean, you know the answer to that,” Tatum said during his media availability Wednesday as part of the league’s media day. “Of course.
“We only hung NBA championship banners, right? 17 of them. Some of the greatest players to ever play this game wore this uniform. All of us are honored to follow in their footsteps, the path they paved for us to live our dream. .
“Essentially, yes, if you want to be one of the greats to wear this uniform, all the greats before winning a championship. That’s what we try to play for every season. The expectations are obviously different here. You need special players.” to be here and be part of an environment like that.”
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Tatum and the Celtics are more than familiar with the pressures that come with playing here, particularly after knocking on the door so many times over the past few years. Since the start of the 2017 playoffs, the Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference finals six times and appear in the league championship round for the second time in three years.
During those eight years, Boston has played in more playoff games (126) than any other team in NBA history without winning a championship, all while playing for a franchise that hopes to surpass its eternal rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, and return to pole position among all teams in terms of titles won.
Tatum, however, said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about the future or what winning a title would mean to him.
“Yeah, honestly, I don’t think about the future or what this might mean for me in the future,” Tatum said. “As simple as it sounds, just try to be present, stay in the moment, enjoy it, right? Keep talking about pressure, pressure, pressure… It’s the NBA Finals. This s— is supposed to be fun .
“That’s where I am. I’m in the NBA Finals. I have a second chance to win a championship. I want to enjoy it. I want to enjoy the moment, enjoy it with my teammates and my family.
“So that’s where my focus is: competing at a high level, finally being able to play tomorrow, just having fun. Just going out there and doing what I love to do.”
Joining Tatum and the rest of the Celtics on the court will be center Kristaps Porzingis, who confirmed Wednesday that he will return for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, more than five weeks after suffering a calf strain in the game. 4 of Boston’s first game. Round series victory over the Miami Heat.
Porzingis, who has never played in a playoff game beyond the first round of the playoffs in his nine NBA seasons, admitted he still isn’t sure what his conditioning level will be heading into Game 1 after having a such a long break.
“Yeah, I think it’s still a little open,” Porzingis said. “It’s not very clear yet. I haven’t had much time. We’ll see tomorrow night and go from there.”
After returning to practice on Friday, Porzingis said he hasn’t been doing much strenuous work leading up to the Finals and had some Kinesio tape on his lower right leg.
“I’ve kept it pretty light the last few days,” Porzingis said. “Just getting my body ready, recovering as much as I can right before the game to be in the best shape possible for tomorrow. It’s been pretty light. Today will be another light day and, yeah, just getting ready for tomorrow.”
The Celtics have been preparing for this moment for years, after their many deep forays into the playoffs. They traded for Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last offseason, hoping to give them more offensive versatility late in the postseason. Boston then won 64 games in the regular season and posted an equally dominant net rating of plus-11.7, with the gap between the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder in second place the same as between Oklahoma City and the Indiana Pacers in 10th.
They then swept the Eastern Conference with a 12-2 record, dispatching the Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Pacers in just over the minimum number of games required, helped, in part, by Jimmy Butler, Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese. Haliburton missed time with injuries.
However, none of that will matter if the Celtics can’t finish the job and close out the playoffs with a win over Dallas.
“I think this is a special group,” Jaylen Brown said. “I really think so. The core group has been here for a few years. We’ve been able to go through experiences of being successful but not being successful at the same time.
“I think solidifying the ultimate goal is to get over the hump and win. I think that’s going to add a lot to our legacy. But as of right now, that story hasn’t been told yet.”
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