Jayson Tatum's bold NBA Finals prediction for Celtics seems premature

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Jayson Tatum evidently forgot the Golden State Warriors still play in the NBA.

The second-year Boston Celtics guard was feeling himself Saturday at NBA All-Star festivities. He won the All-Star Skills Challenge, then had something bold to say about his team’s chances in the second half of the season.

“We’re going to win the Finals this year,” Tatum said, via ESPN. “February 16th, Jayson Tatum said we’re going to win the finals this year.”

Weird flex, Jayson, but OK …

The trends don’t support Tatum’s assertion. First, the Celtics sit fourth in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference, well behind the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors, so they’d have an uphill climb to come out of that side of the league. Oddsmakers don’t have much faith in that, while the Bucks and the Raptors’ odds have shot up significantly, per OddsShark.

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Should the Celtics overcome those odds, the Warriors likely would be waiting for them in the Finals. And even though Boston played Golden State tight last month at TD Garden, the rematch March 5 in Oakland will give us a much better look at where the Celtics are. After all, Boston probably would have to win a Finals game or two at Oracle Arena to fulfill Tatum’s vow.

Easier said than done.

Tatum is confident, which is great. What else is he supposed to say about his team? But there’s much more work ahead of the Celtics before they can talk about winning it all, especially with the back-to-back NBA champions most likely their final hurdle.

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