Celtics' Joe Mazzulla, Kristaps Porzingis do Jayson Tatum's MVP PR for him
Yesterday at 11:11 AM
Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum dominated the Chicago Bulls with a memorable signature triple-double performance (43 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) in a 123-88 win. Tatum reached a feat not seen since Larry Bird, recording a 40-point triple-double that sparked head coach Joe Mazzulla and starting center Kristaps Porzingis to endorse their All-NBA star for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award.
After the win, Mazzulla was asked if Tatum's greatness regarding the MVP conversation was overlooked, per SB Nation's Noa Dalzell.
"Yeah, no question. 100 percent. It does because I think he's been doing it for such a long time, and he's on a really good team," Mazzulla said. "I think that hurts him sometimes, but his ability to do what he does on a great team, I think, says more about who he is as a player. But, yes, for sure."
Joe Mazzulla on whether he feels Jayson Tatum's greatness is overlooked when it comes to the MVP race:
"Yeah, no question. 100% it does." pic.twitter.com/YaRU460I6Z
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) December 22, 2024
Porzingis, Tatum's teammate, agreed with his head coach.
"100 percent. Joe is right," Porzingis said. "He's not a PR player — he doesn't do everything just for PR. He actually plays the right way, he doesn't need to always score 50. He's hungry for winning. And that's a big difference."
Kristaps Porzingis agreed with Joe 100% that people take Jayson Tatum for granted:
"He's not a PR player — he doesn't do everything just for PR. He actually plays the right way, he doesn't need to always score 50. He's hungry for winning. And that's a big difference." pic.twitter.com/aOAwv8XMQv
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) December 22, 2024
Tatum went 16-for-24, including 9-of-15 from deep. Porzingis finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, and Jaylen Brown added 19 points, eight assists, and five rebounds.
Jayson Tatum pulls off rare Celtics feat not done since Larry Bird
Joe Mazzulla and Kristaps Porzingis watched Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum reach Larry Bird's plateau with a franchise milestone in his 43-point triple-double on the road against the Bulls Saturday night. After Tatum was ruled out against the Pistons, he bounced back in a big way in the Celtics' two games against the Bulls. Then, he chased down Bird's impressive feat as the last Celtics player to reach a triple-double with 40+ points, per CHSN's K.C. Johnson.
After the win, a reporter asked Mazzulla if Tatum, one assist away, had requested to check back into the game in the fourth quarter to seal his historic triple-double. The Celtics head coach said no and that Tatum would not do it, per SB Nation's Noa Dalzell.
"He would not lobby for that. He would not. There's been a few times where I've actually not been paying attention, and I didn't put him back in, and then afterwards I had to apologize… because of what our guys do for each other, you should reward that," Mazzulla said.
Averaging 28.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, Tatum makes a strong case for this year's MVP.
The post Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla, Kristaps Porzingis do Jayson Tatum’s MVP PR for him appeared first on ClutchPoints.
