Jayson Tatum’s sixth professional season concluded with his second straight All-NBA First Team selection. He averaged 30.1 points per game, becoming the first Boston Celtics player in franchise history to average at least 30 in a season. The 2022-23 campaign represented Tatum’s fourth consecutive All-Star season and his first start — he was named All-Star Game MVP after scoring an event-record 55 points. During the regular season, Tatum became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career 3-pointers, as well as the first player to record multiple games of 45 points, 10 rebounds and at least eight made treys. He posted 11 games of at least 40 points, one of six players to hit the 40-point threshold at least 10 times. Tatum became the 10th player in NBA history to reach 9,000 career points before the age of 25, and also notched his fifth career 50-point game to move into the No. 1 spot for most in franchise history. During another deep postseason run in which he averaged more than 27 points per game, Tatum guided the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in five years. His 51 points to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals were the most points ever scored in a Game 7. 

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum remix celebrates 2022-23 All-NBA season

The dagger! Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum sheds the defense with a sick step back dribble and nails a game-tying three pointer against the LA Clippers on November 20, 2019.

Jayson Tatum drops defender and forces overtime with game-tying three

On the off chance that Larry Bird missed an open jumper, he was ready with the perfect method of atonement. In his second professional season and first trip to the NBA Finals, Bird personified hustle in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets when he was off the mark from just inside the 3-point arc and chased down his own miss. In one fluid motion, the 12-time All-Star grabbed his own misfire in midair, switched hands and smoothly flicked the putback attempt into the basket. The 24-year-old Bird barely missed a triple-double, posting 18 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists as the Boston Celtics secured a thrilling 98-95 victory on May 5, 1981. The Celtics would go on to win the series in six games, the first of three titles for Bird and the franchise in the 1980s. 

Larry Bird

Larry Bird follows shot for iconic putback in 1981 Finals

Superstars shine brighter on Christmas Day. In a blockbuster matchup with the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics big Kevin Garnett shuffles into the paint and calls for a pass from teammate Ray Allen. Catching the ball in mid-air, Garnett acts decisively dishing a behind-the-back dime to Jermaine O’Neal at the rim. Garnett had 15 points and eight boards on December 25, 2011.

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett relays mid-air catch into behind-back dime on Christmas Day

For the fifth time in seven years, the Boston Celtics made it at least as far as the Eastern Conference Finals. The iconic franchise won 57 games and a second consecutive Atlantic Division title to earn a second-place finish in the East. Boston was strong on both sides of the ball, possessing the second-rated offensive unit in the NBA that ranked fourth in points per game while also finishing as the third-rated defense that was fifth in opponent points per game. Jayson Tatum nabbed his second straight All-NBA First Team selection after averaging career-best marks of 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists to earn his fourth All-Star nod. Jaylen Brown was an All-Star for the second time in three seasons and secured his first All-NBA selection on the Second Team after posting a career-high 26.6 points per game. Derrick White’s sixth NBA season concluded with a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, while Marcus Smart won the NBA Hustle Award for the third time in five years. Malcolm Brogdon was named Sixth Man of the Year in his first season in Boston after averaging 14.9 points on 44.4 percent shooting from downtown. The Celtics dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in six first round games and rallied from a 3-2 series deficit in the semifinals to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. Boston fell into a 3-0 series hole against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals before winning three straight, culminating in White’s dramatic Game 6 buzzer-beating putback — the first postseason buzzer beater since 1989 from a team trailing and facing elimination. Boston fell one win shy of making it to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.

Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics season rewind summarizes 2022-23 season

For the first time in his seven-year career, Jaylen Brown is an All-NBA player. Picked as a Second Team member after his second All-Star berth in three years, Brown averaged a career-high 26.6 points per game while also setting personal-bests in field-goal and free-throw percentage and rebounds per game. Brown helped lead the Boston Celtics to 57 wins — the fourth time in his tenure that his squad has won at least 50 games — while reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in five seasons. Along with the Sacramento Kings, the Celtics were the only other team with multiple All-NBA picks, as Brown and Jayson Tatum became the first set of teammates since 2002 to log 10 games in which they each scored at least 30 points. Brown posted 22 30-point games during the regular season with three more during Boston’s playoff run, and he also reached the 40-point mark three times. 

Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown remix celebrates 2022-23 All-NBA season

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown puts Toronto Raptors defensive specialist Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on skates before sticking the sweet jumper on December 25, 2019.

Jaylen Brown crosses up defender, drains pull-up on Christmas Day

Scoring the basketball in the NBA is not an easy task, despite what Jayson Tatum's game may lead you to believe. In the midst of an epic performance, the Boston Celtics superstar lets his confidence ooze, hitting his defender with four consecutive crossovers before attacking right, side-stepping the help-defender, and finishing with a soft touch at the rim. Tatum stole the show, scoring a season-high 54 points in the 126-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on March 6, 2022.

Jayson Tatum darts through Nets defense in 54-point performance

The bank is open for business! Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum drains a deep three pointer with just seconds left to play in the first quarter of Game 2 of their second round Playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers on August 19, 2020. Tatum was red hot from downtown, finishing with 8 threes and 33 points on the night.

Jayson Tatum beats shot clock with deep triple in 2020 Playoffs

Putting the ball in the hoop against an NBA defense is tough enough under the best of circumstances, racking up points in the Finals against an embattled core of three-time champions dedicated to shutting down your every move is borderline impossible. Checked on the perimeter by a mismatch, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum takes advantage of the opportunity, heads straight to the rack, then contorts his body mid-air to get a layup attempt off around the outstretched arms of Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green. Tatum put up 26 points, six rebounds and nine assists in the Game 3 victory on June 8, 2022.  

Jayson Tatum contorts body for tough two through traffic in 2022 Finals

For the third and final time in his iconic career, Larry Bird was crowned a champion. In a rematch of the 1981 NBA Finals, Bird and the Boston Celtics sent the Houston Rockets home unhappy once again with a truly unforgettable Game 6 performance. Transcendent from everywhere on the floor, the 12-time All-Star wasn’t leaving his home court without some more hardware, scoring on a barrage of layups, long-range pull-up jumpers and transition buckets off of his three steals on defense. Bird went 8 for 17 from the field and 11 for 12 at the line for a total of 29 points to go with 11 rebounds and 12 assists on June 8, 1986, one of two Finals triple-doubles in his storied career. Bird won his second Finals MVP award in three years after averaging 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 2.7 steals across six games for the Celtics’ 16th championship in franchise history — and Boston’s last until 2008. 

Larry Bird clinches third championship with 1986 Finals masterclass

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