How Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Overcame ‘Terrible’ Moment to Hit Buzzer-Beater

BOSTON – Like almost every kid, Celtics star Jayson Tatum envisioned hitting game-winning shots growing up.

But he certainly wasn’t dreaming about what happened minutes before he sank a 29-foot, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Celtics to a 126-123 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on Saturday night.

The five-time All-Star had a picture-perfect chance to end the game as time expired in regulation. He lost his defender around the free throw line, giving him a look at a wide open jumper. But Tatum blocked a shot that hit the entire backboard.

The brutal miss could have made Tatum cautious when faced with the same situation in the extra frame, but he instead seized the moment.

“It felt good to finally hit one of them,” Tatum said. “Obviously after the horrible miss I had at the end of regulation, so it felt good to come back and hit the shot for the win.”

Tatum didn’t need a pep talk after he couldn’t put the finishing touches on the pesky Raptors in the fourth quarter. He knew that with the five-minute overtime, there were more opportunities for him to impact the game and deliver a win for the Celtics.

“I have a lot of issues in life, confidence has never been one of them,” Tatum said. “I work too hard at my craft, I played too much basketball to ever doubt the next shot, whether it’s an in-and-out miss or if I miss the whole rim. I know what I’m in for able to, and you always believe that the next one will come in.”

Tatum hasn’t had too many moments like the one he experienced against the Raptors. He hit a game-winning layup with no time left on the clock in the first game of Boston’s 2022 playoff run. He too knocked in a 3-pointer over Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2020-21 season opener — but there were still 0.4 seconds left after the ball went through the hoop.

Tatum watched his basketball idol in Kobe Bryant deliver buzzer-beating baskets, and he knows he can’t shy away from those situations when they present themselves.

“I’ve never been afraid of the outcome, good or bad,” Tatum said. “My favorite players I grew up watching had moments like this where they made them and they missed them. But they were always willing, no matter how the game went, to be in that moment. Be brave, I think, in those moments.”