Fueled by egregious technical, Jayson Tatum went bananas in the fourth quarter against the Knicks

BOSTON -- It's not that Jayson Tatum was bad in the first three quarters Monday night, he was just a bit off against the New York Knicks. It didn't matter too much, as the Celtics had guys like Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis to help build an eight-point lead over their pesky opponent.

Tatum still had 18 points going into the final frame, but was ice cold from behind the arc, missing all six of his 3-point attempts to that point. But then Tatum got heated at an official, which in turn got him hot from downtown.

The Celtics' star was whistled for his first tech of the season with just under five minutes remaining in the game, when he vehemently disagreed after being called for a foul on Immanuel Quickley. As much as he disagreed with the foul call, he was even more enraged by the technical he was assessed from an official on the other side of the court. Simply put, Tatum felt disrespected by the call.

"I shouldn't have got the tech," Tatum said after the game. "I mean, it's tough. It's an emotional game, right? The fans can see it, everybody watching can see it. It's hard to play the game without emotions. I understand there's a fine line and balance.

"But fourth quarter, we playing defense and I screamed nothing crazy," Tatum continued. "I'm not even directing it towards anybody. For the ref on the other side to come and give me a tech, I don't agree with that because it wasn't right."

The ball doesn't lie, and it was on Tatum's side as Jalen Brunson missed the technical free throw. Quickley hit his two freebies though, which pulled the Knicks within 102-92.

That technical only fired up Tatum though, as he drained a three on Boston's next possession. And then another on their next trip down for a personal 6-0 run to seal essentially the win for the Celtics. For good measure, he hit another three with just over a minute left, giving him 17 points in the fourth quarter. He was 4-for-5 from 3-point land in the fourth.

"I mean, yeah, I was mad," he said after the 114-98 victory. "I thought I didn't deserve that tech at all. I've gotten a lot of techs in my career I know that I deserve. That wasn't one of them."

Even though he was cold from deep over the first 36 minutes of the game, Tatum still helped Boston keep the Knicks at bay with a solid mid-range game and by attacking the basket. New York outplayed the Celtics in the first half, but led by just one point at the break.

Boston's victory Mondy night was a lot more than Tatum getting angry and going off in the fourth quarter. Porzingis was extremely efficient in his attack, scoring 21 points off just 11 shots. Brown was just 2-for-9 from deep, but he attacked the basket with some serious ferocity and got to the line six times, finishing with 21 points of his own. And Sam Hauser not only hit four of his six threes off the bench, but he also played some stellar defense along the way.

However, it's impossible not to notice that Tatum has once again taken his game to the next level. It all just looks so effortless and easy for him. His turnaround in the midrange is impossible to defend, and there has been no stopping him when he puts his head down and goes to the cup. He has had trouble against defenders like Josh Hart in the past, but his presence didn't matter on Monday.

Tatum continues to elevate his offense, and when he's going at all three levels -- as he was in the fourth on Monday -- he's unguardable. He's been feasting on smaller defenders and more than willing to take on bigger guys. And if another team sends a double team his way, he's plenty comfortable dishing it out to a teammate for a better look. Tatum finished with seven assists against the Knicks.

Monday night was the sixth time that Tatum has scored 30 or more points in Boston's 10 games this season. He's now up to 28.4 points per game on a career-best 52 percent shooting. 

He hasn't needed to get angry to pour in points thus far this season. But on Monday night, a little vitriol helped Tatum put on a big show against the Knicks.