At the end of the day, mind games play a crucial role in the NBA. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who faced a series of heartbreaks, has prepared himself for the challenge, staying away from media playing a role in his head. He took the non-Kevin Durant, heading into the Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks to escape trauma. However, the star forward’s mother doesn’t seem to have taken the same route, as she battles online critics.
In the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the veteran NBA analyst described the mood in the Celtics locker room. Simmons stressed that the Celts are well aware of the narratives in the media heading into the series. He also said that the team doesn’t have a “Kevin Durant situation”. By the ‘KD situation’, he meant the Phoenix Suns’ practice of tackling the online hate on his own. While it may not affect the Slim Reaper’s performance, it may affect other players.
However, in this case, the friends and family of the Celtics players have taken the task of transferring the news into the locker room. Speaking of which Bill said, “Celtics heard everything.” Adding on it, Bill’s father, who joined the podcast as a guest, said, “Tatum tries to stay away from reading all that but his mother doesn’t. And his mother was all over it. Very upset.”
Despite the dominant run throughout the season, the Celtics don’t seem to get the due credit. Heading the Finals, the media narratives trashed the team’s efforts, saying that the Celts had an easy route, playing against the short-handed teams. At the same time, the conversation around the Finals were only surrounding Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, as the best players in the series, said Simmons.
Moreover, he also stressed that Jaylen Brown has already made a statement with his Game 1 heroics and expected Jayson Tatum to fire in the next game.
This is a developing story!
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