Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics were uninterested in a First Round Game 7. The four-time All-Star helped punch his squad’s ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a pair of huge buckets during a Celtics fourth-quarter breakthrough, including when he tracked Al Horford’s missed 3-pointer with flawless anticipation and landed a dagger put-back slam. The mic drop throwdown was the final two points of a late 11-0 Boston run that turned a three-point deficit into an eight-point advantage, and Tatum’s 30 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and four triples were a deciding factor in his squad’s 128-120 Game 6 closeout win on April 27, 2023 that set up a tantalizing semis showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers.