The Celtics Just Won 10 of Their Last 12 and Jayson Tatum Is Playing Like He Never Got Hurt

Boston was staring down disaster in late March. After that loss to Minnesota dropped them to just a one-game lead for the 2 seed, the Celtics could have folded. The Knicks were circling. The Cavs were hot. For a team with championship dreams, slipping out of the top three seeds is basically season death, because nearly 99.9% of NBA champs finish with 52 wins and a top three seed. History doesn't lie.

Instead, the Celtics went to work. They've now won 10 of their last 12 games, including 10 of their last 11 with Jayson Tatum in the lineup. More specifically, they're 5-1 against playoff teams down the stretch, with that one loss coming on a back-to-back road game. They now sit three games ahead of the Knicks in the loss column and four games up on the Cavs with just four games left to play. They're looking at 53-plus wins and possibly the 2 seed. This is what responding looks like.

Tatum Is Playing Playoff Basketball Right Now

Here's the thing that should blow your mind: Jayson Tatum is only 14 games removed from an Achilles injury, and he's playing at a first-team All-NBA level. Not almost. Not close. Actually.

Since returning, Tatum is putting up 26/12/8. He's got nine double-doubles in 14 games. He's doing what he always does in the postseason, except we're watching it happen in April. You know that version of Tatum who averages 30/10/6 every playoffs? That's basically what we're seeing already.

The numbers are ridiculous. Over his last five games, he's shooting 57% true shooting. Over his last three, it's 60%. His pull-up three, the most important shot in the entire Celtics offense, is now at 48% on 6.3 attempts a game. Go back 10 games and he's hitting them at 40.7% on nearly six attempts a night. This is the version of Tatum defenses have nightmares about. With Vucevic rolling and threatening the lob, teams are playing drop coverage on the pick and roll. That means they're basically asking Tatum to bury them with easy pull-up threes. Spoiler: he is.

The Road Ahead Gets Real

The Celtics close out the regular season against Charlotte, New York, New Orleans, and Orlando. They're already fully healthy for the first time all year with both Tatum and Vucevic back. Some of these closing opponents are guys they could see in the first round. Every rep matters now. Every win matters now.

The Pelicans game is a back-to-back, so don't expect Tatum to play. But from here on out, the only thing that matters is staying healthy and getting the seeding locked down. The journey to Banner 19 starts soon.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.