Things are really heating up between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
The series is now tied at 2-2 as it returns to California.
You can bet that the crowd in the Bay Area is going to be incredibly loud and engaged on Monday night for Game 5.
But they won’t be alone: the Celtics promise to be engaged too.
Jayson Tatum: "I'm confident, like I have been all playoffs. Confident in the fact that we'll respond and play better."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 12, 2022
Speaking about how he feels heading back to the Warriors’ home court, Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum seemed ready for the challenge.
He told the press, “I’m confident, like I have been all playoffs. Confident in the fact that we’ll respond and play better.”
Tatum has every reason to be confident – he’s been playing great – but confidence might not be enough.
Waging Against The Warriors
Simply put, playing against the Warriors in the Finals is no easy task.
This is a team that is practically built for the postseason and they are proving that again this year.
It’s no surprise that this is their sixth appearance in the last eight years.
Yet, Tatum and his Celtics are a wildly talented team.
Tatum himself is a central part of that talent and has been showing that during the Finals.
He is averaging 22.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists for the Finals.
The star has been something special all year and isn’t cracking under the pressure of playing in the Finals.
But even with all that incredible output from Tatum and some of the others on the Celtics, it’ll be hard to slow down the Warriors.
Confidence is key moving into Game 5 – if the Celtics want to take a 3-2 lead they will needs lots of it.
They will also need skills and smarts.
NEXT: The Celtics Need A Touch Of Luck In Game 5