“My first Finals, I played against the Spurs, it's the same s**t, they took advantage of me not knowing much” - LeBron James defends Jayson Tatum for criticism he endured following Finals loss 

LeBron James has lauded Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum for his spectacular performances in the 2021-22 season. Tatum helped the Celtics finish second in the Eastern Conference and led them to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010. They lost 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.

Tatum copped some criticism for his performances in the Finals. The All-Star forward averaged 21.5 points on 36.7% shooting from the floor during the six-game series.

On HBO's 'The Shop: Uninterrupted', LeBron James said he feels players receive unfair criticism from fans sitting at home and pundits on TV. He used Jayson Tatum's situation to elaborate his point.

"Listen usually the people saying sh*t is the ones that never walked into the arena. Theodore Roosevelt, 'The Man In The Arena' talks about it. Man, it's so easy to sh*t on people when you ... they never raise they blood pressure level or their heart rate above 60."

James added:

"Jayson Tatum is a beast. He didn't play to his standards. Like man, he did a hell of a season. And that guys's anyway 25 yet. He'll be back.

"And he got nothing to hang is hat on. My first Finals, I played against the Spurs. It's the same sh*t, and they took advantage of me not knowing much."

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LeBron James compares his maiden Finals run to Jayson Tatum's

LeBron James didn't take too long to make his first NBA Finals appearance. He led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Finals as a 22-year-old in his fourth season in the league. He did so without any star power on his team.

He led the Cavaliers to wins over the Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons. However, a young and inexperienced James couldn't impose his will on the mighty San Antonio Spurs.

He averaged 22 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, shooting only 35.6% from the field as the Cavs were swept by Tim Duncan's Spurs.

Jayson Tatum had a much better supporting cast than LeBron James. However, he too went up against an experienced team with multiple titles under their belt. As such, it's unfair to criticize Tatum for falling short on the big stage when he was reponsible for taking the Celtics to the Finals in the first place.

James became one of the best playoff performers of all time after getting swept by the Spurs in 2007. He made nine more NBA Finals appearances between 2011 and 2020. Tatum is only 25 years old and will hope to follow in James' footsteps.