BOSTON — Heading into their second NBA Finals appearance on Thursday, the Celtics are starring Jason Tatum was asked if there’s a different level of pressure for a franchise trying to claim a record 18th NBA championship this month.
He did not hesitate in his answer.
“I mean, you know the answer to that,” Tatum said during his media availability Wednesday as part of the league’s media day. “Of course.
“We’re only hanging NBA championship banners, right? 17 of them. Some of the greatest players to ever play the game wore this uniform. We’re all honored to follow in their footsteps, the way they paved the way for us to achieve the dream us.
“Essentially, yes, if you want to be one of the greats to wear this uniform, every great before you win a championship. That’s what we try to play for every season. The expectations are obviously different here. It takes special players to be here and I am part of such an environment.”
Tatum and the Celtics are more than familiar with the pressures that come with playing here — especially after knocking on the door so often over the past several years. Since the start of the 2017 playoffs, the Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference Finals six times and are appearing in the league’s championship round for the second time in three years.
During those eight years, Boston played in more playoff games (126) than any other team in NBA history without winning a championship, all while playing for a franchise hoping to overcome archrival Los Angeles Lakers, and return to pole position among all teams in terms of titles won.
Tatum, however, said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about the future or what winning a title would mean to him.
“Yeah, honestly, I don’t think about the future or what this might mean for me next,” Tatum said. “As simple as it sounds, just try to stay present, stay in the moment, enjoy it, right? Keep talking about pressure, pressure, pressure… It’s the NBA Finals. This s— is supposed to it is fun.
“Here I am kind of with it. I’m in the NBA Finals. I have a second chance to win a championship. I want to enjoy it. I want to enjoy the moment, enjoy it with my teammates and family.
“So that’s where I’m narrowly focused: competing at a high level, finally playing tomorrow, just having fun. Just going out there and doing what I love to do.”
Joining Tatum and the rest of the Celtics on the court will be central Kristaps Porzingiswho confirmed Wednesday that he will return for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, more than five weeks after suffering a calf strain in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series win over the Miami Heat.
Porzingis, who has never played in a playoff game past the first round of the playoffs in his nine NBA seasons, admitted he’s still unsure of his level of preparation for Game 1 after such an extended layoff.
“Yeah, I think it’s still kind of open,” Porzingis said. “It’s still not very clear. I haven’t had that much time. We’ll see tomorrow night and then go from there.”
After returning to practice on Friday, Porzingis said he hasn’t done much strenuous work ahead of the Finals and has Kinesio tape on his right leg.
“I’ve been keeping it pretty light the last couple of days,” Porzingis said. “Just getting my body ready, recovering as much as I can right before the game to be in the best possible shape for tomorrow. It was pretty light. Today will be another light day and, yeah, just preparing for tomorrow.”
The Celtics have been preparing for this moment for years, after their many deep playoff runs. were traded for Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last offseason in hopes of giving them more offensive flexibility deep into the postseason. Boston then won 64 games in the regular season and posted an equally dominant plus-11.7 rating — with the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder in second place the same as Oklahoma City and the Indiana Pacers in 10th position.
They then tore through the Eastern Conference with a 12-2 record, splitting the Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Pacers in just more than the minimum required number of games — helped, in part, by Jimmy Butler, Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton all the time he missed with injuries.
None of that will matter, however, if the Celtics can’t get the job done and close out the playoffs with a win over Dallas.
“I think this is a special team” Jaylen Brown he said. “I really do. His core team has been here for a few years. We were able to experience the experiences of success but not success at the same time.
“I think solidifying the ultimate goal is to get over the hump and win. I think that will add a lot to our legacy. But as of right now, that story is still untold.”