Jayson Tatum ready for his "second chance" at an NBA championship

BOSTON -- Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are back in the NBA Finals for the second time in the last three years. But the Celtics star knows this is not something anyone should be taking for granted.

While Tatum would like to forget about coming up short against the Golden State Warriors in 2022, there's a lot that he and his Boston teammates can take from that disappointment. This time around, experience will be on their side.

No one on the Celtics roster had ever played in an NBA Finals before that series two years ago, and were going against a Warriors team that had been to the title round six times in eight seasons. That lack of experience was evident as the Celtics fell to the Warriors in six games.

The spotlight wasn't too bright for Steph Curry and Draymond Green that postseason, as the Warriors' core won its fourth NBA title. The Celtics, on the other hand, struggled under that glare. The moment was too big for Tatum specifically, as he shot just 37 percent for the series. He was running on fumes in the Finals, which didn't help the wrist injury that he was also dealing with during the postseason.

Two years later, Tatum and his Celtics teammates are determined to use that disappointing experience to their benefit as they get ready to take on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. A title is within their grasp, and the Celtics are not going to let it slip away this time.

"It's a lot that myself, and we, can learn from that experience being in the Finals, and this time, this go-around is a lot different," Tatum told reporters over the weekend. "Obviously, we've been there before, we came up short. And a great opportunity to make it to the Finals again. 

"You don't always get a second chance, so really just looking at it as a second chance and trying to simplify things as much as we can," added Tatum.

Tatum has struggled with his three-point shot this postseason, but he's shooting 44 percent overall while averaging 26 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. The Celtics are a much better team this time around, with Jaylen Brown also elevating his game to the tune of 25 points per game off 54 percent shooting in the playoffs.

Tatum and Brown are just two of the seven Celtics that were on the 2021-22 roster, along with veteran Al Horford, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet. Jrue Holiday is also part of the mix and brings title experience from his championship run with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.

Holiday will be a valuable voice inside the Celtics locker room over these next two weeks.

"It takes everything. I've literally said it takes everything," Holiday said of winning a title. "I think it's one of the hardest things I've ever done. Mentally, physically, you're exhausted."

Exhaustion was a big part of the Celtics' downfall two years ago. Their seven-game series against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals was an all-out war two years ago and took a lot out of them. But this year, the Celtics wasted no time in previous rounds with five-game wins over the Heat and the Cavaliers before sweeping the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. That gave them over a week off before the NBA Finals will tip off at TD Garden on Thursday night.

"This is unique for a lot of us; it's the quickest we've ever gotten through the first, second, and obviously, the third round," Tatum said of the Celtics and their 12-2 record this postseason. "A lot of previous years, we had a couple of Game 7 series that kind of extend the playoffs. So, I think it was great for us to close out series when we were supposed to, and it's afforded us to have this nice break."

The Celtics are well-rested and will bring in some NBA Finals experience to their title bout with the Mavericks. Tatum knows how it feels to get here, and he knows how it feels to lose on this stage.

It's a feeling he doesn't want to experience again, and that will further fuel his drive for a championship.