An event took place Saturday night in Utah that requires the Celtics and their fans to zoom out from a frustrating loss. Sometimes that’s the only way to understand and appreciate the historical significance of an accomplishment in the heat of the moment.
Jayson Tatum, while scoring 15 points against the Jazz, became the first player in the NBA this season to reach the 2,000-point mark. While doing so, he etched his name into Boston’s history book in multiple ways.
This accomplishment marks just the 15th time in Boston’s storied history in which a player has scored 2,000 or more points during a single season. Tatum now accounts for two of those instances, after he tallied 2,046 last season.
Tatum is sure to set a new career high in this category, as he has now totaled 2,008 on the season with 10 games remaining on Boston’s schedule.
The fact that the four-time All-Star has accomplished this feat twice during the first six seasons of his career puts him in rarified air. He is now one of only four players in franchise history to have recorded multiple seasons of at least 2,000 points, joining Hall-of-Famers Larry Bird, John Havlicek and Paul Pierce.
Take a moment to allow that short list of legends to sink in. Also take a moment to recognize that Tatum just turned 25 years old 15 days before he accomplished this feat. He’s sure to record many more such seasons as the remainder of his career unfolds.
As for this season, unforeseen circumstances would need to unfold over the next few weeks to prevent Tatum from winning the NBA’s total-point scoring title this season. He enters Sunday with a 99-point lead over Joel Embiid of the 76ers. As mentioned, Tatum has 10 games remaining on his schedule, while Embiid has 12.
Returning to Saturday’s events, there is no avoiding the fact that Tatum’s historical accomplishment arrived with a blemish due to Boston’s frustrating defeat at the hands of the Jazz. The Celtics led by as many as 19 points during the contest but quickly squandered that lead away during the third quarter. The contest then went down to the wire, with Utah rattling off a 5-0 run over the final 71 seconds to steal a 118-117 victory.
The loss will certainly leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Celtics and their fans, but that’s why the aforementioned zoom-out is required. Sometimes the emotions of the moment must be stripped away in order to appreciate what has taken place before your very eyes. Saturday night in Utah just happens to be one of those instances.
Tatum is having one of the top – if not the top – offensive seasons in the history of the most storied franchise in basketball history. Saturday’s accomplishments were more reminders of that fact, and a single loss cannot and should not jade perspective on such a historical feat.