The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season.
The two conference juggernauts recently faced off against each other in a highly anticipated matchup.
While the Celtics played at full strength, the 76ers entered the game without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
But the Celtics were essentially handicapped with the ejection of Jayson Tatum in the third quarter of the game.
The controversial call from the ref got a vivid reaction from Tatum, which the four-time NBA All-Star defended in the postgame conference via Jared Weiss on Twitter.
“Again, I wasn’t that f**king mad. Don’t put that narrative out there. I didn’t throw nothing,” Tatum said.
Jayson Tatum: “Again, I wasn’t that fucking mad. Don’t put that narrative out there. I didn’t throw nothing. I said what I said. There was no magic words.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) December 2, 2023
Despite Tatum’s ejection, the Celtics ended up registering a 125-119 win over the 76ers.
This was only the second ejection of Tatum’s NBA career, so it was obvious that the superstar was furious with the decision.
Tatum did put up 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Celtics before getting ejected from the game.
Keeping that in mind, had Tatum stayed in the game, he could have helped the team register an even bigger victory over the 76ers.
For the season, Tatum has averaged 27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game for the Celtics.
Following the close win, the Celtics are now 15-4 in the season as they continue to hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Looking at the Celtics’ dominance, they are undoubtedly the team to beat in the East right now.
But can they carry this form into the postseason and win the franchise’s first NBA Championship since 2008? Only time will tell.
