ORLANDO — “MVP! MVP! MVP!” The increasingly familiar chants inundated the Kia Center as Jayson Tatum calmly sank two free throws. The Celtics’ star’s scoring total upped to 37 points, as he solidified a critical Game 4 victory against the Orlando Magic. And, in the background, chants that have followed Tatum and the Celtics to arenas across the country once again reverberated.
In a back-and-forth game on Sunday night, the Celtics held a 4-point lead with just under three minutes to go when Tatum hit a contested turnaround jumper over Paolo Banchero’s outstretched arm.
Kristaps Porzingis, who was crashing to the basket in hopes of securing an offensive rebound in the event Tatum’s shot ricocheted off the rim, momentarily reflected on his teammate’s greatness.
“I thought to myself: ‘This guy is special. This guy is special.”
It wasn’t anything new.
Tatum is in the midst of his 8th playoff run, as he pointed out after the win. Sunday marked his 116th postseason game, placing him 15th among active NBA players in playoff games played.
And, he’s just the 7th player in league history to rack up 70 playoff wins by the age of 27.
Still, Tatum now exhibits a level of poise in the clutch that is different. It’s the result of countless battles — today, he’s on the other side of two Finals appearances, five Eastern Conference Finals showings, devastating Game 7 losses, crunch-time victories, and last-second defeats.
So, facing a scrappy and hungry Magic team looking to even the first-round series at two wins apiece, Tatum erupted for 16 points in the fourth quarter.
After the Magic tied things up at 91 with four minutes to go, Tatum poured in 9 in the final three minutes, single-handedly outscoring Orlando the rest of the way.
“The game was on the line, 91-91, four minutes left, time-out — I was excited for that moment, because I knew that we was gonna figure it out and make plays,” Tatum said.
Kristaps Porzingis has observed Tatum’s evolved killer instinct
When Porzingis arrived in Boston last fall, Tatum had yet to win a championship. The then-25-year-old re-lived playoff failures of years past as he pursued his elusive first title, constantly hearing about the shortcomings from his 2022 Finals run.
In June, that run became a distant memory as he hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Fresh off the chip, Tatum led the Celtics to a 61-game season this year, averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and a career-high 6 assists per game. He’s the Celtics’ leader in all of those categories, and a shoo-in First Team All-NBA forward.
Tatum has racked up plenty of big moments in the clutch this season: a game-winner against the Toronto Raptors, and a game-tying three to send an April Knicks game into overtime are just a few.
Last week, he became one of just 12 NBA players to earn votes for the Clutch Player of the Year award.
Porzingis has always known Tatum to be great; when the Latvian center first walked in through the doors of the Auerbach Center, Tatum was already a four-time All-Star and one of the most dominant two-way players in the league.
Still, Porzingis maintains that he’s nonetheless seen him make strides, even since September of 2023.
“He’s developed even more of a killer instinct,” Porzingis said.
I asked Kristaps Porzingis about Jayson Tatum’s willing the Celtics to victory down the stretch:
“The three that he hit towards the end of the game, I thought to myself, ‘This guy is special.’ From when I got here to now, he’s developed even more of a killer instinct.” pic.twitter.com/dHFaTcmVEC
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) April 28, 2025
When asked about Porzingis’s comments, Tatum made clear that it’s not his own scoring that he prioritizes — he simply wants to make the right plays in the biggest moments.
“I enjoy being in those moments,” he said. “And [it’s] not necessarily ‘take over a game’ [it’s] being in a position to make the play. I say it all the time. [That can be] for myself, or for a teammate. You just want to be in a position where you’re involved and you’ve got a part of the action.”
In last year’s playoff run, Tatum’s big-time moments were sometimes assists.
One of the most notable examples came in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers, he threw a behind-the-back bounce pass to Al Horford for a massive three with just over a minute to play and the Celtics trailing by 5, a pass that famously spurred Jaylen Brown to say: “Hang it in the f—ing Louvre.”
Still, Porzingis maintains Tatum’s evolved killer instinct is something that he has observed.
“Honestly, you could see his demeanor,” Porzingis said. “He wants the ball toward the end, and we trust him fully.”
Jayson Tatum persevered through a challenging start to the playoffs
Tatum struggled offensively in Game 1, limited to just 17 points on 8-22 shooting by the Magic’s stifling defense. He subsequently missed Game 2 with what Joe Mazzulla described as a “severe” bone bruise on his wrist, his sidelining marking his first-ever playoff absence.
Momentarily, it seemed like Tatum could even miss substantial time.
But, despite being listed as doubtful in the morning, Tatum found a way to play through the bruise on Friday, posting 36 points and 9 rebounds in the Celtics’ loss. After each three he made post-injury, he swung his taped-up wrist over his head, unveiling a new celebration concocted by Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman.
Two days later, Tatum had his biggest game of the postseason, racking up 37 points and 14 rebounds.
“He’s been getting us big buckets in this series, and last year’s playoffs,” Porzingis said. “In the third game, thanks to him, we were right there. And today, again, he was phenomenal.”
In Sunday’s postgame media availability, Jaylen Brown used nearly every question as an opportunity to credit Tatum, pointing out everything from his rebounding to his impact in the final minutes:
“JT had it rolling.”
With just over two minutes left, Banchero fouled Tatum on a three-point attempt. After an unsuccessful challenge by the Magic, Tatum drained three free throws, giving the Celtics their largest lead of the game. It was one of many big-time Tatum moments in the Game 4 victory.
“He’s been leading us,” Porzingis said. “And we expect that from him.”
When Joe Mazzulla was asked about what he saw from Tatum down the stretch, he didn’t hesitate: “Poise.”
That much was obvious to Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, too.
“You could just tell their experience showed,” Mosley said. “They weren’t rattled at all. They were making big plays on both sides… They were just really sharp.”
Jayson Tatum (quietly) leads the Celtics to a 3-1 first-round lead
It’s well-known that Jayson Tatum isn’t the loudest vocal leader.
He’s not the type to just say, ‘Let’s go,’ Porzingis explained on Sunday.
So, his words carry extra weight when he does address his colleagues.
“Whenever he says something, it makes sense, you know?” Porzingis said. “He has a good basketball mind.”
Jaylen Brown said there’s a level of trust that’s now established between him and Tatum: “We’ve seen a lot. We’ve been through a lot of playoff basketball.”
Jaylen Brown on his chemistry with Jayson Tatum evolving over the years:
“Trust. We’ve seen a lot. We’ve been through a lot of playoff basketball.” pic.twitter.com/Fmoli0Ipu6
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) April 28, 2025
Through their seven playoff runs as a duo, six ended in disappointment.
The sole run that didn’t? That one will live on forever.
The Celtics will now look to become the first NBA team to win consecutive championships since the 2018 Warriors. It’s an uphill battle — they’re 3 wins down, with 13 wins to go, and will have to take care of the Magic on Tuesday to win the first of four playoff series required to repeat.
Fortunately for them, Jayson Tatum might just be in his best form yet.
“I have been there before,” he said. “I have been in these moments.”
On Sunday, that experience helped the Celtics build a commanding 3-1 lead.
