Getty Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Thursday, March 3, was an enjoyable day for Boston Celtics fans, it was Jayson Tatum’s birthday, the team won their game against the Memphis Grizzlies, and Brad Stevens added another shooter to the roster.
All-in-all, things went far better than most fans expected, which means there were a lot of happy faces walking around in the evening. The good vibes started early, as fans took to Twitter to wish Jayson Tatum a happy birthday, and share the well-worn video of him dunking on LeBron James during his rookie season.
Happy Birthday Jayson Tatum!
☘️💚🎉🎂🥳🎈
Then there was an adorable video from Tatum’s son Duece, where we were shown some of the All-Stars favorite places and former stomping grounds around St. Louis. Of course, fans took that opportunity to joke about how happy they are that Tatum’s hometown doesn’t have its own NBA franchise.
“Every day I thank god St.Louis doesn’t have a basketball team,” @ciaranwhite3 replied on Twitter.
But there was a large contingent of the Twitterverse that simply wanted to wish Tatum a happy birthday and celebrate everything he’s achieved in his early-Celtics career.
Deuce Tatum is singing Happy Birthday to Jayson Tatum on the TD Garden Jumbotron during this timeout.
Happy birthday @jaytatum0
“Make Jayson Tatum’s birthday a national holiday,” @CTabatabaie wrote on Twitter.
“Happy 19th Birthday to Jayson Tatum ☘️
Another year turning 19 and making defenders look silly,” @SidelineViews joked.
Tatum and Horford Have Big Scoring Nights
Heading into the March 3 game against the Memphis Grizzlies there was genuine concern about the team’s ability to compete with one of the best teams in the NBA. However, a big scoring night from Tatum and Al Horford allowed the Celtics to continue climbing the Eastern Conference rankings.
Tatum ended the contest with 37 points, six rebounds, and five assists to cap off an excellent birthday performance from the three-time All-Star. As per usual, Celtics Twitter users were quick to heap praise onto their team’s star player, who carried a huge offensive burden in Brown’s absence.
Jayson Tatum celebrated his birthday by scoring 21 of his 37 points in the 4th quarter of a win vs the Grizzlies!
The Celtics have won 13 of their last 15.
I slept good after that Celtics win last night.
Woke up early today, about to rewatch that game again
37 points for the Birthday boy Jayson Tatum.
Today will be a good day ☘️
“Jayson Tatum on his 24th birthday: 37 PTS 6 REB 5 AST 56% FG 13-Point Win JT went off for his Kobe-year birthday,” @lowkeyodog Tweeted.
“Jayson Tatum with 19 points in the 4th quarter! Hits the dagger and blows a kiss to the crowd on his birthday!! What a night!” @tvabby wrote as she watched the games from the sidelines.
Al Horford was also the recipient of praise, as he pieced together his best game of the season to help the Celtics continue racking up wins. The veteran big man ended the night with a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds while also shooting 50% from deep. Horford has always been somewhat of a favorite with large sections of the fanbase, and they made sure to share their appreciation of what is certainly a throwback game for the 35-year-old.
It would be poetic and hilarious if Al Horford got his Finals guaranteed money in his deal from Philadelphia while he was back playing in Boston.
Al Horford when he gets switched out onto a guard
“in the past 24 games, al Horford is shooting 36.8% from three. the shot may be normalizing, and if it is… buddy,” @waronsnugs wrote on Twitter after the Celtics victory.
“Man…what a game by Al Horford. Maybe it’s his birthday present to Jayson Tatum,” @KeithSmithNBA joked on Twitter.
Celtics Sign Nik Stauskas to Two-Year Deal
Shortly after the Celtics notched their latest victory news broke the President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens was adding another shooter to their roster.
Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids.
It’s no secret the Celtics have been short of floor spacers this season and were in desperate need of an upgrade in that position, so when Nik Stauskas was confirmed as the team’s latest acquisition Celtics Twitter provided some fun reactions.
“Nik Stauskas is streaky, but when he gets going, he can light it up. The Celtics are 12th in 3-pointers attempted but just 22nd in 3-point percentage,” @TrevorHass noted on Twitter.
Nik Stauskas could be a underrated signing especially with all these injuries
The Boston Celtics agreed on a two-year deal with sharpshooter Nik Stauskas from the G-League
Stauskas comes to the Celtics with multiple years of NBA experience having spent time on multiple teams around the league, including Boston’s fierce Eastern Conference rivals – the Philadelphia 76ers. The former number eight pick in the 2014 draft is a career 35.4% shooter from three but has been averaging an amazing 46.6% from deep in the G-League this season.
Nik Stauskas started this game a PERFECT 12-12 FG. Watch all of his buckets from a historic shooting spree by the @NBAGrandRapids sniper. 🎯
Now the only question remaining is if Stauskas can actually crack Ime Udoka’s tight-knit eight-man rotation, or if he will just be a “break glass in case of emergency” back-up. Either way, we can be sure Celtics Twitter will keep us informed of the situation.