FIRST Take analyst Stephen A. Smith attacked Jayson Tatum following the Boston Celtics’ surprising playoff loss on Thursday night.
Tatum, 26, lashed out at his team’s critics following the Celtics’ ugly 118-94 home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
3
3
Boston fans were seen leaving TD Garden early on as the Cavs tied the Eastern Conference semifinals series at 1-1.
Five-time All-Star Tatum scored 25 points in the loss and came out fighting in the postgame press conference after it was suggested the outburst was a shock.
“I mean, that’s the narrative you might see on TV,” Tatum said after the loss.
“The idea that we have a superteam is twofold, right?
“The world thinks we should never lose, we should win every game until we’re 25, and it won’t always be like that.”
Stephen A. joined Kendrick Perkins and Chiney Ogwumike on ESPN’s flagship show to discuss the fallout.
And he wasted no time in taking aim at Tatum for his poor numbers in this year’s playoffs.
“29-point deficits at home don’t just happen,” said Stephen A..
“These are people who don’t show up or don’t do their jobs.
“Jayson Tatum considers himself one of the best players in the NBA.
“We consider him one of the best players in the NBA.
“But I don’t know what the hell is going on here. These numbers I’m seeing from him are the worst I’ve seen from him since the 2019 postseason.
“With expectations rising, he seems to have taken a decline, a step back.”
The Celtics had a 37-4 record at home during the regular season and were heavy favorites before Thursday’s embarrassing loss.
Tatum made just 7 of 17 shots from the field, including 2 of 5 on three-pointers.
‘You’re seeing this backwards’
MOLLY Qerim was forced to interrupt a Stephen A Smith rant on First Take and save her blushes.
Appearing virtually, Smith began berating Chris “Mad Dog” Russo for apparently sitting in his chair in the studio.
“Now I’m here in South Beach,” Smith said, “so I’m usually never grumpy.
“What the hell are these seating arrangements?
“Why aren’t you Tim Legler sitting in my chair? Why is that man, Mad Dog Russo, in my chair?!”
But Qerim intervened and said, “You’re seeing everything backwards.”
Smith realized his mistake and was left red in the face.
“The video is backwards,” retorted a red-faced Smith, “They promised me they would fix it.”
“He played in seven postseason games this year,” continued Stephen A.
“He’s averaging 21.7 points, shooting 41% and shooting 27% from three-point range.
“What the hell is this? This is not what we expect from Jayson Tatum.”
The Celtics are trying to win their first NBA title since 2008.
Tatum is cutting out any outside noise ahead of a big Game 3 showdown in Cleveland on Saturday.
“We don’t expect it to be easy. We’re playing a good team. It’s the second round of the playoffs,” Tatum continued.
“So the rest of this series will be fun, especially on Saturday.”
First Take airs Monday through Friday on ESPN.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
