Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum (right) wants teammate Jaylen Brown (left) to continue playing in Boston for years to come. Tatum is urging the Celtics to work out a multi-year, $295 million contract extension with Brown.
The Miami Heat crushed the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday. But Tatum’s mind was on the future of the franchise.
“It’s extremely important,” Tatum said in a post-game interview.
Brown, 26, is eligible for a 5-year, $295 million contract extension that could make him the NBA’s highest-paid player.
“He’s one of the best players in this league,” Tatum said. “He plays both ends of the ball and still is relatively young. And he’s accomplished a lot so far in his career,” Tatum added.
The Celtics were heavily favored to win Game 7 at home and complete a historic comeback. No team in NBA history has won a Game 7 after falling behind 3-0 in the series.
Tatum (left) took the blame for the team’s stunning Game 7 loss at home. He turned his ankle on the first possession of the game.
“It’s tough because it kind of impacted me the rest of the night,” Tatum said. “It swelled up and it was just frustrating that I was kind of like a shell of myself. It was tough to move. Just frustrating. Especially [with] it happening on the first play.”
For pre-game inspiration, Tatum wore a custom jacket with pictures of former Celtics star Kevin Garnett on the front and back.
“I mean, you can’t go through life talking about what you could have, you should have done. Sh*t happens and the past is the past. We fought like hell to give ourselves a chance today. Just not the outcome that we anticipated,” Tatum said.
The 8th-seeded Miami Heat will face No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals in Denver on Thursday, June 1.
Watch highlights from the Heat vs Celtics Game 7 below.
