Jayson Tatum recalls the feeling of being just five minutes away from taking a 3-1 lead in his first NBA Finals, only to have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green lead a 17-3 run to snatch Game 4 and eventually the championship. Tatum reflects on the lessons learned from that experience two years ago, as the Celtics now hold a 3-0 lead in the 2024 NBA Finals. He acknowledges the growth and resilience that the team has shown since then.
Jaylen Brown remembers the disappointment of forcing a Game 7 in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, only to see Tatum get injured early in the game and struggle to carry the load on his own. Brown’s performance haunted him for months, and he admits that it was a driving force behind his improvement. As the Celtics gear up for Game 4 with a chance to close out the series, Brown is determined not to let history repeat itself.
Facing elimination, Luka Dončić has shown his superstar potential with impressive stats in six career elimination games. As Tatum and Brown seek redemption in the Finals, Dončić represents the next generation of young talent looking to make their mark on the biggest stage. The Celtics’ journey to redemption and Dončić’s emergence as a star will play out in the Finals, with both players driven by past failures and the desire to overcome them.