Jayson Tatum lifted the Boston Celtics to a 115-114 win over the Brooklyn Nets with a spin move and layup as the clock was running out. The Celtics got a 1-0 lead in their playoff series while Tatum got a viral moment.
Boston ed by as many as 15 points, but the Nets were up with just a few seconds remaining. Kevin Durant tried to give his team a bigger cushion but he missed a three point shot attempt. Al Horford got the defensive rebound and with only 12 seconds left on the clock, the Celtics rushed to the basket. Marcus Smart had the ball with less than four seconds remaining. Instead of shooting it, he decided to pump fake and pass it to Tatum.
The forward/guard finished the game with 31 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two blocks. However, the conversation on Twitter was predictably all about his game winner.
Golden State's Draymond Green acknowledged Smart's wise decision to pass the ball, saying last year Smart would've probably made a different decision.
And there’s the difference in the Celtics team. Last year Marcus Smart would’ve taken that shot. Ime got him to buy in and be the Marcus smart everyone loved out of Ok State. BEAUTIFUL! Looking like a true PG again! That’s what made Him special!
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) April 17, 2022
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges was as shocked as the rest of us about what Tatum pulled off. He used a few words and the flushed face emoji.
JT for game 😳
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) April 17, 2022
Bradley Beal also used some emojis to describe what he had just seen because sometimes words are not enough. He used four fire emojis to describe the series and all caps letters to talk about Tatum's spin move.
This series 🔥🔥🔥🔥 JT SPIN CYCLE
— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) April 17, 2022
Cavaliers big man Kevin Love first tweeted about the finish, and then he went on Twitter again to say what the rest of the world was thinking about the entertainment potential of this series.
Potentially 6 more games of this…? Epic
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) April 17, 2022
It's not just the NBA world watching. Quarterback Mac Jones from the New England Patriots is using the offseason to enjoy some good basketball. Jones wasn't the only one. Retired NFL veterans like Julian Edelman were enjoying the show as well.
Let’s go!! 😎 @celtics Clutch @jaytatum0
— Mac Jones (@MacJones_10) April 17, 2022
😤😤😤 @jaytatum0 https://t.co/r4Qe9FUG9R
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) April 17, 2022
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday April 20 in Boston at 7pm E.T.