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Jayson Tatum · Even for powerhouses that produce NBA history’s fourth-greatest regular-season start, there are levels — as the Cleveland Cavaliers would learn — to the greatness required to walk into the defending champions’ house and earn victories. Through a score-from-everywhere masterpiece that featured buckets both difficult and unchallenging, Jayson Tatum, as a matter of fact, had three different levels in mind. Finding zero issue protecting its green-all-over court in the game’s first half, Tatum keeps a killer instinct intact, timing a pick-and-roll drive effectively enough to create confusion amidst Cleveland’s All-Star backcourt. Sidestepping his way into a wide-open triple, Tatum releases an accurate 26-footer, extending the Celtics’ lead to 17 in the highly-anticipated battle of heavyweights. At ease and brilliant as usual, even in battle against a perceived threat to the Boston Celtics’ throne, Tatum’s excellence equated to 33 points (on 11-of-22 shooting), joined by 12 boards, seven assists, two steals, and six 3-pointers. The reigning NBA champion’s two-way mastery helped Boston absorb Cleveland’s furious late-game rally, ending their 15-0 start for a signature win on November 19, 2024. · State of Mint · State of Mint