DETROIT — He wasn't making some emotional, 'I dare you to defy this' statement, but Jayson Tatum didn't back down from the notion of being the NBA's Most Valuable Player to this early point of the season.
Stephen Curry has had his moments in keeping the champions from capsizing early, Luka Doncic is carrying Dallas and Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be the most irresistible force in the game, with the Milwaukee Bucks being a half-game ahead of the Celtics in the East at 10-2.
It’s not uncommon to see teams with long playoff runs from the season before easing into the next season; but the Celtics are the lone team from last season’s final four who’ve seemed to find an identity in the early weeks of the season. The continuity between Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart helped prevent the slow start the Celtics had to rebound from last season. Tatum, steady and quiet-ish, is perhaps the top reason, and admits the thought of winning MVP was “subconsciously” in his head coming into the season.
“I say it all the time, getting to the Finals and losing really, you know, f***ed up my whole summer. It was like, how hard you work to get to that point individually and as a team. And to not get over that hump, it was tough.”
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