After coming close to choking the series, the Boston Celtics kept their nerves to win Game 7. They now advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018. The hero for them tonight was Jayson Tatum, who had a great all-round performance.

He finished the game with a stat line of 29 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Doing this at just 22, he joined Kobe Bryant to make postseason history.

It was also his 20th 20+ point playoff game. Only three players in NBA history, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Derrick Rose, have had more before turning 23.

Jayson Tatum: Celtics Leader

The Celtics were up 2-0 at the start. It would have been 3-0 had it not been for OG Anunoby’s game-winner in Game 3 with 0.5 seconds left. They then struggled and saw themselves in a win or go home situation tonight. But they stayed afloat and advance to the Finals as Tatum led them to a win.

Although he shot poorly tonight going 9/23, he could deliver when it mattered. After Grant Williams missed both his free-throws with 35 seconds to go, Tatum grabbed the second miss and got fouled. He made only one out of the two free throws, but that extended the lead to three for the Celtics and that was crucial for them.

The last time Tatum was in the Eastern Conference Finals, he had a memorable poster on LeBron James as a rookie. Although they lost that series, Tatum showed he meant business. He was an inexperienced rookie at that time, but now he enters this stage as a leader. He will be expected to continue to lead them against a tough Miami Heat team who have proven they’re the most dangerous team in the East.