After his Game 6 heroics in Philadelphia, Jayson Tatum delivered a strong statement in his interview with ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth.
"Humbly, I'm one of the best players in the world," the Boston Celtics star said after scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter of the 95-86 win.
Tatum backed up his talk with a legendary performance in Game 7. The 25-year-old dropped 51 points to send the 76ers packing and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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He doubled down on his "humble" remark ahead of Friday's Game 2 vs. the Miami Heat. During warmups at TD Garden, he donned a T-shirt that read "Humbly" above the C's logo.
After a rough start to the Eastern Conference Finals, Tatum will be counted on to play like one of the best players in the world to avoid going down 2-0 in the series. The four-time All-Star scored 30 points in the Celtics' Game 1 loss but did not attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over three times in the frame.
We should expect a much more aggressive Tatum in a pivotal Game 2.