Jayson Tatum makes massive statement on officiating after flop show in Game 1

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics collapsed in the fourth quarter and overtime to lose 108-105 to the New York Knicks on Monday. Boston led by 20 points midway through the third quarter before wilting in front of a packed TD Garden crowd. The Celtics went 10-for-37 in 3-pointers in the second half and in the extra period, a key reason for their loss.

After the game, Tatum had this to say when asked if the seeming lack of fouls had a connection to their 3-point attempts:

"It's the playoffs. We probably should just play without the refs, that's how physical it is.”

Jayson Tatum and Co. ended the regular season averaging 48.2 3-point attempts per game, the most in the NBA by a wide margin. As expected, they did not change their spots in the playoffs. In Game 1 against the New York Knicks, they went 15-for-60 from deep, making the 45 misses the most in league playoff history.

Tatum was a big culprit in the defending champs’ ghastly shooting from behind the arc. He was 0-for-6 in the fourth quarter when the Knicks rallied to force overtime.

Jayson Tatum’s co-star, Jaylen Brown, said that the Boston Celtics "settled" for too many 3s, particularly when the Knicks had momentum. Brown had an even worse night than Tatum, making just 1 of 10 shots from deep.

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Kendrick Perkins urged Jayson Tatum to “get down hill” instead of jacking up 3-pointers

Kendrick Perkins, who won his lone championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, watched his former team battle the New York Knicks in Game 1. Now an analyst for ESPN, Perkins tweeted midway through the third quarter on Monday:

“Tatum just get down hill man!!! Stop Settling for all these damn 3 pointers”

Neither Tatum nor the Celtics headed Perkins’ urging. They relentlessly hunted for the shot behind 22 feet but made just two of their 15 attempts from that range in the fourth quarter.

Boston kept going the long-range route once overtime started. Four of their seven shots in the extra period were also 3-pointers. Jaylen Brown’s 24-footer moved the Celtics to within 108-105 but the Cs could not make a game-tying attempt. Knicks forward Mikal Bridges ripped the ball away from Brown in the final possession to seal the win for New York.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics know the physicality will not change in Game 2. They can still sink or swim with the 3-pointer or adjust their strategy to avoid the same collapse that could haunt them in the series.