Jayson Tatum Felt Media Was Trolling Picking Mavs to Win Finals

The Celtics star didn't understand why the media loved Dallas so much heading into The Finals

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) handles the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Jayson Tatum is one of the more maligned stars in the NBA today. For the last few years, there's been plenty of discourse around whether or not he's one of the greatest players, if he could ever win MVP, or if he's even the best player on his own team. Those discussions were magnified when the Boston Celtics made the NBA Finals and were set to play against the Dallas Mavericks, who have a bonafide superstar in Luka Doncic.

Because of the way the Mavericks tossed the Minnesota Timberwolves aside in the Western Conference Finals, some prominent members of the media believed they could pull the upset over the Celtics, as well. Boston was easily the best team in the NBA all year long, winning 64 games in the regular season and only losing two games in the playoffs before The Finals.

Taum found that to be a little disrespectful, with him saying he thought they were "trolling" on Netflix's new show, "Starting 5."

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Jayson Tatum was surprised to see so many media members pick the Mavs to win the Finals, but he didn’t mind.

“I didn't know if they were trolling … or they really thought that the Mavs were gonna beat us … But I guess it felt good to be the underdog. First time in a while.”… pic.twitter.com/lSIGKUV5mK

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 10, 2024

“I didn't know if they were trolling," Tatum started, "or they really thought that the Mavs were gonna beat us... But I guess it felt good to be the underdog. First time in a while.”

To say they were the underdog was incorrect. Boston was the heavy favorite entering the series, but some personalities took the Mavs for having the best player in the series. In sports debate shows, there will never be a unanimous prediction for the NBA Finals. They're supposed to stir up some drama.

The Celtics made quick work of Dallas, winning in five games, but the Finals MVP went to Jaylen Brown, not Tatum. That's led to an offseason of even more criticism for Tatum, who also didn't perform well in the Olympics. Boston is running it back with the same team, entering as title favorites once again.

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