AUERBACH CENTER – The Celtics practiced on Saturday morning, five days removed from Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Practice, which spanned around 90 minutes, was one of their last of the year at the Auerbach Center. That’s because starting on Wednesday, all home practices will be held at TD Garden, in front of a hoopla of national media that will join the regular Celtics beat for NBA Finals coverage.
Joe Mazzulla, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White all addressed reporters on Saturday, each reflecting on the opportunity in front of them as the time between this current moment and the tip-off of the Finals is shortened.
The most notable development to come out of practice was increased optimism around Kristaps Porzingis, who was a full participant on Saturday.
Here are three things to know from Saturday’s pre-NBA Finals practice.
A reflective Jayson Tatum views this 2024 Finals as a second chance
Jayson Tatum has been here before – fresh off of an Eastern Conference finals championship, gearing up for the NBA Finals. And, while it’s no secret that the 2022 run didn’t pan out the way that he and the Celtics had hoped, he’s viewing this Finals run as a second chance.
“There’s a lot that myself, and we, can learn from that experience in the Finals,” Tatum said at Saturday’s practice. “This go around is a lot different, obviously. We’ve been there before and came up short. 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, trying to simplify it as much as we can.”
Jayson Tatum is viewing the 2024 Finals as a second chance:
“There’s a lot that myself, and we, can learn from that experience in the [2022] finals.”
“You don’t always get a second chance, so really just looking at it as a second chance… it’s another series that we gotta win.” pic.twitter.com/QjEWa3mVqL
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 1, 2024
Tatum was reflective throughout his presser, recalling “the highs and lows” of being teammates with Kyrie Irving.
“For me being a first, second year player, being around a superstar, essentially, every day, and seeing how to navigate that space, and then obviously on the court, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen. Seems like a very long time ago, but I got a lot of great memories from having Kai as a teammate.”
He was asked about his previous statement that the 2018-19 season was…
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