Agreed. When I saw the jays running up the court together , smiling at each other on the lob attempt? I’ll never forget that. These dudes are here to win

People worried about chemistry must have been asleep for the last 9 years. D White and Pritchard benefit the most from JT being on the floor and we saw it right away when Scal pointed out the defense can’t leave anyone alone now

If you’re a Mainer, last night was fucking magical.

The only problem I had with Jason Tatum was his conditioning which is to be expected after almost a year. He’s not in basketball shape and the more he plays the better his cardio will get

Walsh was sick and Vucevic got hurt. 

Thats where his minutes came from. I am curious to know where the minutes come from when Walsh comes back, but these young guys surely must know they are just keeping Tatum’s seat warm for him. 

“He looked like himself” was the exact thing I texted people.

Based on last night I think it’s safe to say Tatum will be at least 90% of his former self by playoff time.

Jayson Tatum is probably about as easy to fit into a roster construction as any player in the history of the league. He’s legitimately good at everything you can do on a basketball court. I was excited to see him make a couple of jumpers, but I think both Jays are about to be getting the easiest buckets of their career because of the offensive scheme and roster construction. Couldn’t be more excited.

I thought the offense looked great. Defensively, I wonder how they’ll mix and match the lineups. With Hauser in there they’re huge, but they don’t really have a point of attack defender, unless Jaylen goes back to that role if he doesn’t need to rest on defense as much now. Derrick and Tatum are much better as off the ball defenders. Maybe Hauser could be switched out for one of the young wings like Baylor or Walsh.. or go smaller with Pritchard if facing quicker guards. Definitely have a lot of options, I think the closing 5 in particular could definitely vary for the 5th guy (and possibly queta too if they want 5 out shooting)

That high pick and roll with Queta is gonna be a problem for the opponent. So many options for Tatum going towards the rim with Queta rolling in and the defense collapsing. Just easy offense where someone will have a great look almost every time.

Even when he hadn’t found his shot, his playmaking and game IQ still felt like it hadn’t take a step back since he got hurt. He’s one of the most versatile stars in the league right now in terms of how he’s able to produce when he’s on it and when he’s having an off night. Getting to see him play vs. Flagg and find his shot again in the 2nd half was magical. Lots of blue jerseys in the crowd between the Tatum Duke jerseys, Flagg Duke jerseys, and Mavs Flagg jerseys. You could feel the energy in the Garden all night. What a game man, I’m still reliving it today lmao

His scoring and athleticism will take time, but he picked up right where he left off as a playmaker last night

Except the new kids he’s played with these guys for years, it will be fine. There was never any bad blood besides crazy Boston media sports narratives. This idea that he’s going to mess up any chemistry is not based in reality.

it could not have gone better

Coach of the year is minimum expectation.

I was so hoping he would drop “WE DID IIIIIIT!” in the post game interview on the court haha

Tatum showed his maturity by allowing the game to come to him. He didn’t force anything and he was quick to move the ball to the open man. The league is fucked when he shakes off the rust.

My favorite part was watching the new guys on the team behaving like a gleeful JV squad who got called up for a varsity game. They were loving it all. And they continued to do really well while enjoying themselves immensely.

100% agree

Derrick and Queta can only gain from Tatum coming back. Queta sets incredible screens that complement Tatum’s playmaking and he’s always open on the role, while White has less pressure with Brown and Tatum attracting so much defensive attention and can drive and get open much easier. His high IQ playing alongside Tatum who can carve up a defense means the Eastern Conference is in big trouble. Sorry Detroit, this actually isn’t your year.

Seeing both JT and JB facilitate as opposed to iso is what this team needs in the long run.

Hehe “PP”

… against the Mavs

My least favorite part about last night was that tatum was scared to land on his bad Achilles. This is a very bad sign. Kobe did the same thing when he came back and he was never the same player again. He never got over it