The Boston Celtics have been all about sacrifice this season, with elite players putting aside personal stats and honours to achieve the ultimate objective of winning a championship. Why would it change now, in the NBA Finals?

The hardest part of that approach is actually following through, but the Celtics have made it look simple. The best example is star forward Jayson Tatum, who hasn’t pushed his offence against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks have used a “stop Tatum from scoring at all costs” defence, sending two or three bodies his way every time he touches the ball.

Tatum isn’t taking the bait and pushing shots in the hopes of matching Luka Doncic’s scoring on the other end. He also refused to take the bait when Dallas coach Jason Kidd attempted to mock Tatum and Jaylen Brown, claiming the latter is Boston’s greatest player this series. Because Boston’s best player varies per game, quarter, and, in many cases, possession, it doesn’t matter who is at the top as long as the team wins. 

There’s no denying Tatum’s shot has been off in the first two NBA Finals games. He’s made just four of his 14 three-point attempts and only 12 of his 38 total. Having four to six arms trying to knock the ball out or block your shot will do that to any athlete.

But Tatum is excelling in almost every other element of his game, particularly as a facilitator. He’s taking advantage of all the defensive focus by finding open teammates for easy baskets. On five different occasions on Sunday night, he found a cutting Jrue Holiday for an easy bucket at the basket, as the Celtics guard led the team with 26 points in the Game 2 victory.

Tatum had 12 assists in Game 2 and almost missed a triple-double with 18 points and nine rebounds in Boston’s 105-98 triumph. While people may look at Tatum’s point total and conclude that he is having a dismal Finals, this is not the case, as his passing (and rebounding and defence) compensates for his lack of scoring.

“The way their defence is set up and how much they’re loading up and converging at the rim, it just puts us in positions to attack and find the easy kickout reads and just to keep the ball popping and things like that so we can get good to great shots on each and every possession,” Tatum said following the second game. “I mean, every time I dribbled, three people were right there. So our squad has a lot of shooters and people who can space the floor. They continued to leave Jrue exposed. So I didn’t need to do anything outstanding. It was simply about locating the available guy.”

It demonstrates another degree of maturity from the 26-year-old, who in previous years would have likely forced more shots against Dallas’ sea of defenders. However, Tatum is no longer the same person. 

Tatum’s development as an all-around player was heavily influenced by his loss in the NBA Finals two years ago.

“It has a lot to do with that I’ve been here before and we didn’t win, and it’s just like, you know, we’re so close to what we’re trying to accomplish, why would I let my ego or my need to score all the points gets in the way of that,” Tatum said. “There will be occasions when I need to score, and I know I need to improve my shooting. Golly. But, truly, we constantly say that we will do whatever it takes for as long as necessary. If having 16 possible assists every night puts us in the best position to win, regardless of whether I’m the leading scorer, sign me up.”

The Mavericks are doing their part to keep Jayson Tatum’s scoring out of the NBA Finals, but they are failing terribly in blocking him from influencing the game in other ways. His overall development won him accolades from head coach Joe Mazzulla, who was eager to point out that everyone on the Celtics takes an unselfish approach on the field.

“Jason makes brilliance appear easy. He does it in many different ways. He plays defence, rebounding, passing, and screening. He is an excellent player who is easy to coach. We’re a different team when he can influence the game in multiple ways,” Mazzulla remarked. “But it requires everyone to do it. 

“The emphasis and growth of [Tatum] over the last two years has been to take what the defences give him and learn to impact the game in a variety of ways.” Because of the sort of squad that we’ve had, particularly this year, he’s seen a variety of coverages and matchups because teams must match up with him,” Mazzulla explained. “So coming into a game, it’s kind of similar to a puzzle and he’s done a great job learning how to solve the puzzle and do different things.”

Tatum is an unselfish superstar on a team full of unselfish players. Because the NBA is a basketball league rather than a hockey league, there are no hockey assists, but the Celtics would have many if they were recorded. In Game 2, Boston recorded 29 assists on 38 made baskets. 

The Celtics excelled at luring attention with a drive to the basket and then kicking out to an open shooter. It’s their main source of revenue, but the Mavericks continue to fall for it. 

Jaylen Brown had his fair share of defensive attention on Sunday, dishing out seven assists to go with his 21 points. 

“That’s just being patient,” explained Brown. “You have a lot of energy, excitement, and nerves when the game begins, but sometimes you simply have to be patient. And I could go to the paint whenever I wanted, and I was willing to be patient when I did. I had a few turnovers where I had a little more time to wait for the defender to make a decision, because those two-on-one reads exist, where you get to the paint, the defender is there, the big is coming, and you either kick it to the corner or, if he drives down to the corner, you kick it to the wing. But you don’t have to be in a rush. Simply protect the ball, make wise judgements, and trust your teammates. I believe that is the majority of this. We did plenty of it tonight, but I believe we should do a little more going into Dallas.”

The Celtics returned to the Finals because they share the ball more effectively than anybody else in the league. They’ve taken delight in it all year, and they’re now just two wins away from a championship.