Jayson Tatum Claps Back After Celtics Capture NBA Title

BOSTON — Celtics star Jayson Tatum heard all the criticism that came his way over the course of his seven-year career.

But it will be a lot tougher to hear those doubters now for Tatum with the Larry O’Brien Trophy in hand.

Tatum played an integral role in the Celtics sealing an NBA title Monday night with a 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 at TD Garden. It was difficult for Tatum to believe in the immediate aftermath with the confetti flying around him that he had obtained a career-defining achievement.

It still hadn’t sunk in when Tatum took the podium for his postgame press conference as he offered another candid reaction and clapped back at his naysayers a little bit, as well.

“It’s a surreal feeling. Still has not really kicked in yet,” Tatum said. “Just trying to enjoy the moment. I kept saying, ‘Wow.’ These last seven years have been a roller coaster, up and down. I had to listen to all the (expletive) that people said about me, and tonight, it was worth it.”

Tatum made sure the Celtics walked off the famed parquet floor as champions. He finished with a game-high 31 points on 11-for-24 shooting to go along with 11 assists and eight rebounds after getting off to a slow start. He took over in the second quarter and scored 12 points in the frame to stake the Celtics to a 67-46 halftime lead. The five-time All-Star then put the finishing touches on the win by netting 11 points in the fourth quarter.

That still wasn’t enough for Tatum to secure Finals MVP honors. That award went to Jaylen Brown, which Tatum didn’t mind.

The 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward got what he wanted in an NBA title. He was fueled by all the times he and the Celtics had come up short in the past. It made everything that much sweeter for Tatum.

“This is going to be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life, from the game, the celebration, these moments,” Tatum said. “Over the last couple years, we had some tough losses at home in the playoffs. We’ve lost the NBA championship at home in front of our fans. We had a chance to beat Miami in Game 6 a few years ago and lost that one.

“So to have a big win, the biggest win that you could have in front of your home crowd, I felt like that was really important to go out there and do everything in my power to make sure we won this game tonight.”