Jayson Tatum’s Game 7 echos LeBron James’ 2012 masterpiece, says Doc Rivers

BOSTON — Doc Rivers shuddered a little but didn’t hesitate to asnwer when asked: In his years as a player and a coach, had heever seen a performance like the one Jayson Tatum has just put up against his team for the Celtics on Sunday at TD Garden?

“I’ve seen one.”

Tatum had 26 of his 51 points in the second half and 13 rebounds as the Celtics pulled away for a 112-88 Game 7 win that earned Boston a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. That’s a hard game for anyone to matchup with given the stats and the circumstances.

But Rivers had one. It reminded him of a performance against the Celtics in 2012 when he was still on the Boston bench.

“It was in this building,” Rivers said. “It was LeBron.”

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In Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics had a chance to close out the Miami Heat. Instead LeBron James put all the talents he took to South Beach on display. He had 45 points and 15 rebounds and Miami blew out the Celtics 98-79 at TD Garden to force Game 7.

James had yet to win a title at that point and had received some undue criticism as a big-game player. That game was a mile marker as he turned the corner before winning four championships in Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

“It was the only other time I’ve seen a performance like that live. I’m glad I haven’t seen many,” he said. “Tatum was not only unbelievable, but he played hard defensively. He didn’t take a lot of bad shots. He got them in rhythm and played great overall tonight.”