NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 21, 2022

Jayson Tatum

Boston Celtics

Game 3: Postgame

Heat 109, Celtics 103

Q. First of all, what happened with your shoulder, and how are you feeling now?

JAYSON TATUM: My neck got caught in a weird position. Obviously I went down and felt some pain and discomfort in my neck and down my arm, and then went to the back, got it checked on, and started to gain some feeling back and got it checked by the doctors and ran some tests and decided to give it a go.

Q. No field goals in the second half, just two points. What did the defense do to you? How didn't you attack or what happened tonight?

JAYSON TATUM: You know, obviously they played well from the beginning. But six turnovers and no field goals in the second half, that is unacceptable. Honestly, I've got to play better. I feel like I left the guys hanging tonight. That's on me.

I acknowledge that. That was a tough one.

Q. Ime, Al, Jaylen sort of all said you guys didn't come out with the same urgency you had in Game 2, even though it had been talked about that Miami was going to come out sort of like a wounded animal and give you their best. Did you have any sense or can you put your finger on why you didn't come out with the same sort of attack mode you had in Game 2?

JAYSON TATUM: Why? I don't know. I wish we could have, clearly. But especially first game back at home. There's no excuse. We can't spot them 39 points in the first quarter. Obviously we were just trying to overcome that the rest of the game. So we've obviously got to be better starting the game for sure.

Q. You guys had the second most turnovers all season long. Was there anything that the Heat were doing to you as a team to mess you guys up on that front, or do you feel like a lot of those were self-inflicted?

JAYSON TATUM: I guess you'd go half and half. Obviously they're a really good, scrappy defensive team, but a lot of those were some careless turnovers, as well.

Q. When you guys end up falling behind like that, do you feel like there's a tendency to get caught up in trying to answer their baskets or trying to make plays like outside of what you normally run for the offense? Do you think something like that is leading to some of these turnovers?

JAYSON TATUM: That's possible, playing extremely fast, trying to get it back. But every time we came to the huddle, we talked about we can't get it back in one play, that we've just got to keep playing the right way. It's not going to just happen at the snap of our fingers.

But obviously human nature plays a part. You're down so much, you just want to get back so bad that you can just kind of move a little too fast sometimes.

Q. You mentioned you left the guys hanging tonight. What are the things that you can do in bounce-back games? When you see a game like this where you're defended like this, what do you do to go back and say hey, things will be different next time I'm on this floor?

JAYSON TATUM: To answer that question, I've just got to play better. It's as simple as that. This time of the season, everything on the line, I've just got to play better.

Q. With Kyle, did you feel like he gave them a lift at the start? Kind of seemed like their energy was a little bit different out there. And then obviously Jimmy being out in the second half, having a steady veteran like that to kind of keep them going.

JAYSON TATUM: Yeah, I guess they were happy to have Kyle back tonight.

Q. Just want to know how are you feeling physically? Before the stinger was there anything that was bothering you? I know you've said you have to play better, but it seemed like it was an uncharacteristic night for you. Is there anything else physically going on with you at this point?

JAYSON TATUM: Mm-mm. That's it.