NBA playoffs: Jayson Tatum discusses THAT dunk over LeBron James ‘I had to get him back’
LEBRON JAMES’ Cleveland Cavaliers emerged victorious in last night’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, eliminating a youthful Boston Celtics team spearheaded in scoring by rookie Jayson Tatum who produced a monstrous dunk over the King during the fourth quarter.
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The 20-year-old had an astonishing year for the Celtics, stepping up after Gordon Hayward’s broken ankle in the first game of the season to seize his opportunity.
His form continued into the postseason as he finished agonisingly short of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s long-standing record for the most amount of playoff points scored by a rookie; Tatum needed just a single point to tie the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on 351.
During one memorable play last night, the former Duke prospect rose high to throw down a monster dunk over boyhood hero James, bumping chests with the four-time league MVP as the Boston crowd at the TD Garden went wild.
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Discussing the dunk during his post-game press conference, Tatum said: “I had to get him back for the two shots he hit on me in Cleveland.
“I meant no disrespect but I was just in the moment, I made a play and just showed emotion.
“This is my first year in the league. I grew up watching LeBron and asking him to follow me back on Twitter, going to his camps.
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“In my first year, to be able to compete against a player like him and be a few shots away from beating him and his team and going to the championship is something I’ll always remember.”
Speaking after the game, LeBron James admitted this had been the most difficult season of his career, leaving fans to speculate that his future lies away from Cleveland.
But the 33-year-old reserved special praise for 24-point man Tatum, claiming he is “built for stardom” after sharing an embrace with him on the court after the final buzzer.