No Tatum No Problem: Jaylen Brown Put The Celtics On His Back And Carried Them To A Crucial Game 2 Win

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

It took until Year 8 and a total of 115 straight playoff games, but for the first time in his career, Jayson Tatum had to watch a playoff game take place without him. Frankly, I've never even really entertained the idea of what that would even look like, because once the playoffs hit, Jayson Tatum plays. It's been pretty much the only constant in my life these last 7 years. So to finally see what things looked like without him in a playoff setting against an elite defense, it was certainly a bit stressful heading in.

Jayson Tatum is the sun that all things orbit. He is the system, on both ends of the floor, especially at this time of year. His mere presence on the floor changes everything, even if he doesn't have the ball. Replacing that production, gravity, playstyle etc was the challenge of this Game 2.

What happened? The defending champions showed you why they're the defending champions. Whatever it takes, for however long it takes. That has been the motto of the Joe Mazzula Era Celtics, and tonight's Game 2 win is the perfect example of what that can mean. Sometimes you're going to be down your best player facing a tough physical defense. The standard of winning does not change. Figure it out and find a way to stack the W. 

It starts with Jaylen. This was one of those games that is a non-negotiable situation. He had to not only carry, he had to dominate. This is one of those moments where a franchise player has to operate and execute as a franchise player

When it came to getting the Celts off on the right foot and carrying the offense early, Jaylen delivered. When it came to making the big shots late in high leverage situations to put the game away, Jaylen delivered

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I'd say he lived up to his responsibilities and then some. It wasn't just the efficient scoring or the timely baskets. I'm more impressed with the rebounding than anything else. With no Tatum, the Celtics had to have someone step up and level up when it came to cleaning the glass, so Jaylen meeting that challenge as well is what makes his overall performance so impactful. This was a Jayson Tatum level performance. Dominate all areas, backpack the team when needed, find a way to make the plays to win. That's the role, and he filled it.

Wins like this help continue to set the tone in the series. The Magic are trying their hardest to take out every player the Celts have. Don't worry, they're all coincidences. That's how they view their path to victory, and with that comes the mental challenge. Don't back down, play physical, don't let their bullshit get in your head and execute when the game is on the line. Be a champion, find a way to win. Be the tougher team

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Now up 2-0, the Celts are fully in the driver's seat. Teams up 2-0 are 425-34 (92.6%) all time and 188-13 (93.5%) in the first round, and it brings up an interesting question. Do you give Tatum Game 3 off as well? Did this game buy you some margin of error? Or, does he play and you go for the kill, seeing as how going up 3-0 effectively ends the series. It'll be fascinating to see how the team handles it, but part of me doesn't want to tempt any sort of momentum swing. If he can handle it and is cleared by the medical staff, I'd prefer Tatum play. You got the win without him tonight, take that good fortune and don't get greedy.

I'd still go as far as to say that I don't think the Celts have played to their ceiling yet in these playoffs, but at the end of the day, what matters is winning. It's going to look different every night, and the championship teams are able to morph into whatever a game needs at that moment.

The Celts did that tonight. Now we're onto Friday.

2 down, 14 to go.