Once again, Duke basketball products Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and Dereck Lively II were collectively frigid from the field in the NBA Finals.
Shooting 14-for-43 in Game 2 on Sunday night after posting a combined 13-for-36 clip in Game 1 three nights earlier.
However, in facilitating the Celtics’ 105-98 home win to take a 2-0 series lead over Irving, Lively, and Dallas, Tatum exhibited impressive versatility and unselfishness once again. According to Basketball Reference, the 26-year-old joined Boston legends Larry Bird (1986) and Bob Cousy (1959) as the only players in franchise history to record at least 18 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists in an NBA Finals contest.
This time, a follow-up to his 16 points, 11 boards, and five dimes in Game 1, Jayson Tatum displayed his all-around prowess in front of Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and assistant Chris Carrawell.
The pair from Durham sat courtside. And during pre-game warmups, they met up with the All-NBA First Team forward and a former member of Scheyer’s staff in Celtics assistant Amile Jefferson:
Meanwhile, former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving is now winless against Boston in his past 12 tries. The one-time NBA champion (with Cleveland in 2016) finished with 16 points and six assists while shooting 7-for-18 from the field and 0-for-3 from three (6-for-19 and 0-for-5 in Game 1).
Dereck Lively II played 19 minutes off the bench, tallying two points and seven rebounds. The 7-footer was 1-for-3 from the field, ending his five-game streak without a miss.
Game 3 of the first NBA Finals to feature three Blue Devils tips off in Dallas at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.
