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There was a moment, during Jayson Tatum’s warmup on Saturday night, when he took a short break from his job description.

As he geared up for a Celtics matchup at the Knicks, most of his time spent on the court was spent honing the skills he’d soon use: he splashed in some jumpers, tested his dribble and rehearsed some post moves as the arena slowly began to fill up.

But at one point, for maybe a minute, he lightly punted a basketball back and forth on the Madison Square Garden hardwood with a Celtics staffer. 

Why not have a little fun when you’re playing well and winning?

Tatum and the Celtics comfortably beat a depleted Knicks squad 116-102 to move to a staggering 45-12 record on the year, though it was Jaylen Brown who led the way for Boston with 30 points on the night.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum drives to the basket against Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa 

Jalen Brunson scored 34 points for the Knicks but it wasn’t enough to beat the Celtics

Ex-Knick Kristaps Porzingis also finished with 22. 

Earlier this week, Tatum said in an interview with ESPN that he was the best player in the NBA.

‘The fact that he says it, but backs it up with his work ethic, his professionalism, his teamwork, his coachability. … I think it’s important for him to think that way,’ Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said before the game on Saturday.

Tatum’s had more impressive games than his 19-point showing on Saturday, when the Celtics beat the Knicks for a fourth time this season, but it was clear that his teammates share his self-belief and poise as they outmatched New York.

On Saturday, that looked like Tatum trusting his scarily-deep squad to make plays as he served more of an unsung role.

‘I thought today was a beautiful display of basketball from Jayson tonight,’ Mazzulla said afterwards. ‘It will go underlooked and it will not go in the most valuable category.

‘But his ability to control the game, with his pick and roll pace, his pick and roll pᴀssing, his defense… was great. Hat’s off to him for knowing  that that’s a way for us to get started with that.’

Jaylen Brown hangs on the rim after a dunk against Knicks guard Josh Hart on Saturday

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla praised Tatum before and after the game on Saturday

The first quarter was a тιԍнт one as the Celtics held a slender 30-26 advantage after the first 12 minutes.

Jalen Brunson did nothing to dissuade the ‘MVP’ chants raining down from the home fans as he notched 13 points in the period, while Tatum was more pᴀssive than his usual self: three points, two field goal attempts and one almost-dunk on the head of Precious Achiuwa.

The Celtics’ offense decidedly ran through Brown in the first half, as he led the team with 20 points. No one else had more than nine, though six players finished the game in double figures for Boston in a true team effort.

‘Everybody has sacrificed a little bit,’ Brown said afterwards. ‘And we all just kind of play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. And we’ve been pretty consistent in that all year long.’

Boston looked to be gaining some breathing room in the second quarter, a period where Brunson curiously played just five-and-a-half minutes.

The Celtics led 56-46 with under three minutes remaining in the quarter, but a final push from the Knicks – which included six points from Brunson – ensured they kept their visitors at bay.

It was indicative of Tatum’s (and the team’s) selflessness when, as Boston attempted to hold for a last sH๏τ, it was Brown handling the ball at the top of the key with Tatum stuck in the corner. 

There is no room for pouting or stat-watching when you’re chasing a championship.

Achiuwa, seen driving on ex-Knick Kristaps Porzingis, finished the game with * points

Josh Hart hustles down court to beat the halftime buzzer!Boston leads 62-58 at the break.Celtics-Knicks on ABC pic.twitter.com/gycCWwVpqG

— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2024

‘He deserves a lot of credit,’ Porzingis said of Tatum after the game. ‘Because he can say, ‘I want to score 30 every night, I want to get the MVP.’ But he’s not doing that, and I think people are overlooking that. 

‘And you have to give him credit because when he does that, it makes everybody else do that. And then we’re winning games because everybody’s feeling good.’

Brown’s attempt before halftime was blocked by Precious Achiuwa, giving Josh Hart the chance to sprint to the other end for a buzzer-beating layup that the Knicks faithful went wild for.

The hustle play – so emblematic of Hart’s role with this Knicks team – cut the halftime deficit to just four, like the end of the first. 

Boston didn’t take long to restore its 10-point advantage in the third quarter, though Brown’s three-pointer to make it 76-66 with 7:49 left in the period was quickly answered by an old-fashioned three-point play from Brunson.

From there, though the Celtics began to pull away, ripping off a 12-2 run over the next few minutes to firmly seize control of the game.

The Knicks – still without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson – were without answers, and the Celtics fans were empowered.

With Hart at the free throw line and the Knicks down 88-71, loud chants of ‘Let’s Go Celtics’ broke out. The Knicks fans booed, but they knew this one was likely not turning around against the team with the best record in basketball.

‘Against a team like that, you’re gonna have to play 48 minutes of really good basketball,’ Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said afterwards. ‘And [we] didn’t do that tonight.’ 

Tatum has been thriving as a facilitator. He averaged 4.8 ᴀssists entering Saturday’s game

Tatum, who finished the game with six ᴀssists – the joint-most on the team – was happy to take what the Knicks defense gave him and consistently made the right pᴀss.

Nonetheless, he had a big moment of his own when he hit a wide open corner three with 1:39 remaining in the third to extend the Celtics’ lead to 20.

There was a still a bit more drama to come, though. 

The Celtics started the fourth cold, scoring on just one of their first five possessions as the Knicks chipped the lead down to nine.

But the next Celtics’ offensive trip – which ended with Al Horford making a fifth-chance tip sH๏τ off the top of the backboard – quashed the Knicks’ momentum and showed that this just wouldn’t be the hosts’ night.

The Celtics, ultimately, were too much – too good, too unselfish and too confident – a mindset that – at least in part – stems from Tatum.