Jayson Tatum Talking About What It Will Feel Like To Win A Title In Boston Has Me Ready To Run Through A Goddamn Wall

Ron Hoskins. Getty Images.

Every once in a while a clip will come across my timeline that has me so immediately intoxicated on Celtics Kool Aid before I even know what happened I have run through every goddamn wall in my house. I basically turn into thi

Granted, I can admit it certainly doesn't take much. Brad Stevens talking about trading 2nd round picks for a player that moves the needle? I'm running through a wall. Kristaps Porzingis talking about how playing with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has changed his basketball life and is the best thing to ever happen to him? Yup, I'm running through a wall. 

Jayson Tatum talking about the love he feels for Boston and what things are going to be like once he finally raises a banner? Buddy, you'll never believe this but I am once again running through my walls

Chills. My goosebumps have goosebumps just thinking about it, and I am quite certain I am probably not alone in that.

Let's also face the reality of the situation. Had Tatum performed to his own standard in the NBA Finals in 2022, this would have already happened. The guy could simply not make a shot in that Finals to save his life, and even though he was doing everything else well, it's OK to say Steph outplayed him. To win a title, the best player needs to go up a level. Look at LeBron, Steph, Giannis, Jokic etc all in recent history. Once they got to the Finals, they went nuclear. No matter what the Celts roster might look like, Tatum as THE GUY needs to take that leap for this team to win the title. The good news is he's absolutely capable of it.

For the Boston Celtics in particular, to be an all time great you need the chip. That's the stamp of approval. Paul Pierce would be talked about entirely differently within the context of Celtics legends without his title. That standard isn't the same for every franchise, but it certainly is the case here. So far in his career Tatum is on that generational Celtic path, but none of that will matter if he never wins a title. You don't need multiple, it would certainly be nice, but you need at least 1. 

And I'll just tell him this. Tatum may think he has an idea of what it's going to be like for him and what that moment will be like when he's lifting the trophy, but he has no clue. The God he will become in Boston is beyond his comprehension. For example, I will die without hesitation for any member of the 2008 team. They are the only team that I have ever seen win an NBA title with my own eyes, something that changed my life forever. 

If this group were to pull it off, I do think it would feel different from 2008. For Tatum and Brown, two homegrown players, to finally deliver after getting so close so many times before is going to be emotional as fuck. It's partly why the 2022 Finals hurt so much. The fact that this homegrown trio came away empty-handed still hurts in places I didn't know existed.

Boston Globe. Getty Images.

Winning a title isn't just huge for what it means for Tatum as a Celtics legend, but it also validates him as one of the best players in the league. When you think of those top 5 guys, winning their title was that true stamp. It shut up all the shit Giannis had to take about not really being a #1, it validated everything about Jokic. KD got his stamp. Personally I think it's cool that the greatest players to ever do it found a way to win so history will never have to look back on their careers and say "YEAH BUT". 

That's what is on the table for Tatum. You win a title, there's no more "YEAH BUT". Again, that's what made 2022 so tough. We were right there! Close out Game 4 and who knows what happens up 3-1. 

It is this hope that fuels us. The talent is there. The roster is there. The Celts have graduated into that tier of contender where every season moving forward is truly a title or bust type year. No more just making the ECF. No more just making the Finals. Those are goals for other teams. For this team, and that player specifically, it's about winning it. Nothing in the NBA is guaranteed, things change quickly and you never know how many legit shots you're going to get at it.

My sense is that after the 2022 Finals and the 2023 ECF loss, Tatum understands that. At the end of the day, the team and the franchise will only go so far as Tatum can take them. That's the weight of being the franchise guy. 

And when he reaches the top of the mountain? Man, I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.

If you want to watch the whole interview (you should), go ahead and clear your calendar click play. Then go ahead and watch the KP/JJ Redick one too. Lots of Celts porn out there to get us through this disaster of a stretch before the team tips off tonight.