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Jayson Tatum Plays Blame Game With Referees After Stinging Upset vs Cavs

Published 03/05/2024, 11:08 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Jayson Tatum raises questions after the high-octane drama at Cleveland. The Boston Celtics star extracted a crucial shooting foul with 0.7 seconds left on the clock, which could have changed the game’s result. But, immediately after the call, the Cavs challenged the decision and, after a long scrutiny, the refs overturned the decision, leaving JT in utter disbelief.

For obvious reasons, Tatum was unhappy with the decision and picked up the mic to register his disappointment. He said, “We played well enough for a good portion of [the game] … It was unfortunate I thought I got fouled, but they didn’t think I got fouled. It was tough ’cause we would have got a tip in. Just a weird way to end the game…”

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The Celtics entered the fourth quarter with a comfortable 16 point lead and headed to extend their winning streak to 12 games. But, the Cleveland Cavaliers stopped them with a brilliant effort in the last quarter. Dean Wade emerged as the hero of the night, dropping quick fire 20 points to change the game close into a close encounter.

Even after Wade’s flurry of buckets, the job wasn’t entirely done. The Cavs required a clutch defense at the end to save the game. Wade’s final dunk gave the home side a one point lead with 19 seconds remaining on the clock. Jayson Tatum almost pulled off a jumper for the win, but it resulted in a late drama.

When JT attempted for a jumper, Cavs’ Darius Garland came near Tatum’s landing area and ref immediately called the foul. While the odds were in Celtics’ favor, the refs shocked everyone by overturning the decision.

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It’s no doubt that the JT could have won the game or at least tied the game for the Celts with those two free throws. While Tatum blamed the call, Jaylen Brown showed his frustration on the team.

Jaylen Brown expresses his frustration after the loss

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The Celts went through a rollercoaster of emotions during the last quarter and almost took home the win. While everyone was stuck with the controversial call, Brown went a bit further up and blamed the team for blowing the lead. He said, “Today matters. Whether everybody wants to throw it away or not, we’ve got to look at the film and address some stuff, because that matters.”

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Next up, the Celts face the defending champions and will look to get back to their winning ways. Will the Celts face a rare losing streak? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja