Even some of the league’s best players have their fair share of heated moments.
The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic have been in one of the most interesting first-round series this season. While Boston is a heavy favorite as the defending champion, Orlando’s physicality and unwillingness to back down have led to a competitive matchup.
On Sunday, the Celtics still managed to secure a 3-1 lead over the Magic. While Orlando had its chances to tie the series, Jayson Tatum took over down the stretch, making a few critical plays to secure the win.
Earlier in the game, Tatum was fouled by Paolo Banchero on a 3-point shot, and as Tatum got up, he got into a spat with Magic coach Jamahl Mosley. In a physical playoff series, tempers will inevitably flare, but Tatum didn’t think much of the altercation after the game.
“Nothing serious,” Tatum said. “It's just a bunch of men out there in a competitive environment. Everybody's passionate, just showing emotion. I got a lot of respect for coach Mosley and what he's done with that group.”
The Celtics have been among the best in the league for a while now, so this type of environment is nothing new for Tatum. With the physicality of this series being one of the leading storylines of the postseason, it’s no surprise to see things like this happen.
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In the first round, Tatum has also had to miss some time after a flagrant foul from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Game 1 caused some wrist issues for Tatum ahead of Game 2. With the frustration of missing a game and then losing his first game back on the floor, Tatum finally got a chance to take out some of that frustration in Sunday’s win.
If Tatum can have a similar outing in Game 5, the Celtics should soon be moving on.
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