Celtics' Jayson Tatum 'Would Have Preferred' To Win NBA Finals On Mavericks' Home Floor

Tatum cites how it felt seeing the Warriors win on Boston's floor in 2022

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-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks had a disappointing end to their season, losing in five games to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. While it was still a great and somewhat surprising run, it had to sting for the players to get so close and still lose.

That feeling of losing in the NBA Finals sticks with players, just ask Jayson Tatum of the Celtics. According to him, he'd rather have clinched the championship in Dallas than in Boston in front of his home fans because that's how the Golden State Warriors did it to his Celtics team two years ago.

"I would have preferred to win on the road honestly," Tatum said on the latest episode of "The Old Man & The Three" Podcast with A'ja Wilson. "Just because I know what it felt like for somebody to win a championship on my home court. I wanted that get-back. Like I wanted to win in Dallas. Because I've seen the Warriors celebrate on our home court and that sh-- was devastating."

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Boston clinched the Finals in front of their home fans, dominating 107-89 in Game 5 to win their 18th NBA championship. The Celtics led 3-0 in the series but the Mavericks blew out Boston in Game 4 after almost completing a miraculous comeback in Game 3. Dallas refused to go out by being swept and at least pushed the series back to Boston for another game, but the Celtics' firepower at the top of their rotation was too much to handle.

Tatum saw his team lose to the Warriors in six games in 2022, despite the Celtics taking a 2-1 lead to start the series. Some could argue he and Jaylen Brown weren't quite ready for the stage yet or that Stephen Curry simply refused to let his team lose, but either way, the Celtics weren't as good as they were this season.

Hopefully, Dallas can use this same motivation to win a championship themselves in the next couple of seasons. They have arguably the greatest player in the world in Luka Doncic, a co-star in Kyrie Irving, and a newly acquired third scoring option in Klay Thompson. They also have a handful of young players who should continue to improve, such as Dereck Lively II, Jaden Hardy, P.J. Washington, and Quentin Grimes.

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