Celtics
“I don’t ever make it about one person,” Tatum said. “I understand who I am, who I am in this league.”
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Jayson Tatum, Celtics pull out odd win over Hornets, sweeping mini-series: 8 takeaways
Hornets forward Grant Williams, who was teammates with Jayson Tatum for four seasons with the Celtics, leveled Tatum with a hard foul on Friday night.
On Saturday, Tatum told reporters he did not want to comment on the situation.
“I mean, I don’t really want to talk about it,” Tatum said. “It’s just — got ready for the game today, we came to Charlotte and did what we were supposed to do, and we’re going to Atlanta to try to get another win before we go home.”
Tatum later mentioned Williams by name when asked how he responds when teams resort to a more physical style of play.
“You understand that’s their gameplan,” Tatum said. “They put Grant on me to deny, they didn’t want me to get the ball, they face-guarded me.”
“It makes you stronger, it makes you better,” he added. “You figure out more ways to impact the game. Don’t limit yourself to just one way to be effective. I lift every gameday, so that (expletive) don’t really bother me.”
Williams said Friday night that the hard foul was unintentional and that he would reach out to Tatum. Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reported before the game that the pair had spoken.
Williams apologized, Washburn said, and Tatum accepted the apology even though he was still annoyed.
“I don’t ever make it about one person,” Tatum said. “I understand who I am, who I am in this league. I come out and play the right way.”
“It’s not about a matchup or anything. Just try to come out, dominate, and give my team the best chance to win whether that’s scoring, rebounding, or screening for other guys. The objective is to make sure we give us the best chance to win, so it’s not about a situation with another person.”
Tatum popped right back up and walked to the free-throw line after Williams knocked him down. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he liked the way Tatum handled the situation.
Both Derrick White and Jaylen Brown said the play was some “BS” and that Williams should know better. Brown said he thought Tatum and Williams were friends, but isn’t so sure after the fact.
Williams told NBC Sports Boston’s Kayla Burton that he had prepared chicken wings in anticipation of some of his former Celtics teammates stopping by for dinner while the teams played back-to-back games in Charlotte.
He acknowledged that the odds of them stopping by after the foul were slim.
The Celtics swept the mini-series with the Hornets. Tatum had an uneven shooting night Saturday, going 1-for-9 from 3-point range and 14-for-17 from the field.
Tatum turned the ball over five times in each of the two games, tying for his highest total of the season.
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