Jayson Tatum Details How Celtics Combatting Opponents Trying to Out-Tough Them

Bobby Krivitsky | May 2, 2024

Apr 27, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket against Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat. / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Opponents trying to challenge the Celtics' physical toughness, hoping it also creates a mental edge, is an approach Boston's repeatedly run into in recent years.

No team has seen that strategy yield better results than the Miami Heat. It's a tactic essential to the defending Eastern Conference champions overcoming the gap in talent between them and the Celtics last year.

But with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown sharing the court in their primes for the first time in their careers and their familiarity with that approach, it's getting more challenging to bring the team boasting the most talented top six in the NBA back to the pack.

After eliminating the Jimmy Butler-less Heat in five games, finishing them off with a 118-84 victory on the same parquet Miami ended Boston's title hopes last year, Tatum discussed the importance of the Celtics addressing opponents testing their toughness.

"I think, just being honest with ourselves, like what's a team's message and what's their game plan to beat us?" The five-time All-Star asked rhetorically after registering 16 points, 12 rebounds, and getting nearly the entire fourth quarter off as the C's delivered the knockout blow to the Heat.

"Pick up the pace (and) the pressure, be more physical, crash the glass, doing the intangibles. So, we know that. So, why don't we flip the script and be the tougher team? Why don't we crash the glass more and pick up the pressure more while still being the talented team that we are."

The two-time All-NBA First Team selection also shared his perspective on what opponents perceive of the Celtics' toughness and how he defines that word.

"The world we live in, there's going to be something wrong with every team," said Tatum. "That's what they like to say. And you can see how talented we are, and I think it's lazy, or easy to say, that teams can 'out-tough' us. I've never understood that.

"Like, what's the definition of tough? Having the louder guys on your team? Like that (expletive) don't make you tough. Everybody has their own definition of what toughness is. Playing the right way, showing up every day to do your job without complaining. I think that's being tough."

Further Reading

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