The move damaged Ujiri’s relationship with DeRozan, who felt betrayed despite the loyalty he had shown towards Toronto, who would go on to win the 2019 NBA Finals without DeRozan.ĭeRozan was an important part of the Spurs offense 2018-2019, with 22 points per game and ranking in the top 20 in the league for assists. In the 2018 offseason, looking for a change, GM Masai Ujiri replaced head coach Dwayne Casey with Nick Nurse and traded DeRozan to San Antonio, bringing in Kawhi Leonard. He was named to the All-NBA 2nd Team.ĭespite the Raptors’ regular season success, the team lost in consecutive playoffs to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, including a humiliating sweep in 2018. In 2018, as Toronto’s offense moved away from the isolation-heavy tactics they had used, DeRozan’s scoring dropped to 23 points per game but he posted a career high for assists with 5.2 per game. He was selected for the All-Star Team in both those seasons and made the All-NBA 3rd Team in 2017. In 2016, when many speculated he would seek a max contract elsewhere, he affirmed his commitment to Toronto, signing a 5 year deal for less than the max without considering any other teams. In the 17 seasons, DeRozan kept improving, posting new highs for season scoring with 23.5 and 27 points per game. In the 2014-2015 playoffs, DeRozan set a franchise for points in the first quarter, with 20. His partnership with Kyle Lowry, who arrived in Toronto the year before, became a driving force behind the team’s increasingly strong performances. In 2014 he was selected for the NBA All-Star Game for the first time. He finished second and third in his two appearances in the competition.ĭeRozan refined his ballhandling and jump shooting, and in 2013-2014 his scoring average jumped to 22.7 points per game, including a then-career high of 40 points against the Dallas Mavericks. He was best known in his early years for his athletic ability, and he competed in both the 20 NBA Slam Dunk Competition during All-Star Weekend. As a rookie, he played in 77 games and started 65, averaging 8.6 points per game. He also dropped 53 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 9, which means Tatum put himself in a class of his own with the arrival of this year’s Play-In Tournament:įinally, Tatum’s 50-point performance in Game 3 tied him for the fourth-most points ever scored by a Celtic in a playoff game, and the first Boston player to drop 50 in a playoff game since Isaiah Thomas.The Toronto Raptors selected DeRozan with the ninth overall pick. In Boston’s play-in game against the Washington Wizards, the 23-year-old was similarly unstoppable, finishing with 50 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 14-for-32 from the floor, 5-for-12 from long range and a perfect 17-for-17 from the foul line. If it feels like Tatum just dropped 50 points recently, that’s because he absolutely did. Larry Bird had his 4th 50-point game in his 867th game.Īccording to Tatum is the 1st player in NBA playoff history to score 50 points after scoring single digits the previous game. Jayson Tatum reached four 50-point games in his 338th career game. Per Stat Muse, at 23 years and 86 days, Tatum became the third-youngest player in NBA history to drop 50-plus points in a playoff game, trailing only Michael Jordan (23 years, 62 days) and Rick Barry (23 years, 21 days) - two certified Hall-of-Famers, one of whom is the GOAT. Jayson Tatum’s performance was literally historic But Tatum reset the bar in multiple ways, already establishing himself as a Boston legend in-the-making. Shooting 16-for-30 from the field, 5-for-11 from 3-point range and 13-for-15 from the free-throw line, Tatum was unstoppable from every area of the floor, and the Celtics needed every one of those points to eke out a 125-119 win in Game 3.Īnytime a guy goes for 50-plus in a playoff game, there’s a good chance they’re making history of some sort. Jayson Tatum did exactly that for the home team, dropping a game-high 50 points in a performance that was literally historic. They were already down 0-2 in their first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets and their star-studded Big 3, so heading back home to the friendly confines of TD Garden, they needed to find a way to rise to the occasion. On Friday night, the Boston Celtics desperately needed a win to keep their season alive. Jayson Tatum’s 50-point playoff performance in Game 3 was not only impressive it was literally historic too.
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