Jayson Tatum

Draymond Green showed respect to the Boston Celtics on his podcast after the Golden State Warriors clinched the NBA title on Thursday:

"You have to give them a lot of credit," Green said (26:20 mark). "That team ain't going nowhere. That team will be back. You better believe that team will be back."

The Celtics led the Warriors 2-1 early in the NBA Finals, but three straight wins helped Golden State claim its fourth championship in eight years. However, Green still believes Boston has a bright future.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we see this team sometime in the near future—when we're done—win a championship," the forward said (27:40). "They got it. They're not weak. They're not soft. They got scoring, they got the defense, they got the bigs."

Green said the only difference in the series was that the Celtics "ran out of gas."

The Celtics and their fans didn't exactly love Green during the series. The crowd directed some expletive-filled chants at the forward, while he had a few confrontations with players on the court.

The veteran still praised the team afterward, noting its young core and the work of big men Robert Williams III and Grant Williams.

Boston is set up well for the future with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both under 26 years old and under contract for at least two more years. Robert Williams and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart also represent key parts of the core going forward.

After an impressive run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, featuring wins over the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the Celtics are clearly a team to beat in 2022-23.

It appears Jayson Tatum won't need offseason shoulder surgery.

The Boston Celtics star told reporters after a 103-90 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals that he doesn't anticipate he'll need to undergo a procedure, noting he was struggling with a nerve issue through the latter half of the postseason.

Tatum suffered the shoulder injury in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat and was frequently seen grabbing his arm throughout the remainder of the series and into the NBA Finals.

At the time, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said the injury was just a stinger. Tatum also noted that his neck "got caught in a weird position" on the play that he suffered the injury, so it's unsurprising that it appears to be a nerve issue.

"Obviously, I went down. I felt some pain and discomfort in my neck and down my arm," Tatum told reporters after Game 3 of the ECF. "Went and got it checked on. I started to gain some feeling back, got it checked by the doctors and decided to give it a go."

Tatum undoubtedly struggled against the Warriors in the Finals, though it's unclear if the shoulder ailment played a role in his scoring inefficiencies or if the mental aspect was more of a factor.

The 24-year-old entered Thursday's Game 6 averaging 23.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 37.3 percent from the floor and 47.5 percent from deep through the first five games of the series.

In Game 6, Tatum finished with just 13 points, three rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block on 6-of-18 shooting from the floor and 1-of-4 from deep. He also had five turnovers.

While Tatum may not need surgery, he'll get some much-needed rest this summer before returning to the court in pursuit of another Finals run in 2022-23.

The Golden State Warriors ran the Boston Celtics off their own court en route to a 103-90 win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch their seventh championship.

Boston led 14-2 early, but the Warriors responded with a 35-8 run capped by a 21-0 stretch for a 37-22 second-quarter lead. The C's cut the lead down to eight points on multiple occasions but could not come any closer.

Numerous factors led to Boston's ugly loss, but Celtics forward Jayson Tatum's continued struggles stood out. He scored just 13 points on 6-of-18 shooting with five turnovers to cap a 36.7 percent NBA Finals shooting performance. Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins notably played excellent defense on him in Game. 6.

Tatum, a member of the All-NBA First Team, is the primary reason why Boston made the Finals for the first time since 2010. The 24-year-old will undoubtedly be part of many playoff runs down the road as well.

This series simply wasn't his best effort, though, and analysts and fans on NBA Twitter pointed out Tatum's struggles.

It was an ugly ending to an otherwise sensational season for Tatum and the C's, who should contend for the NBA title again next year. For now, though, the Celtics' season is over after a brutal finish.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum explained the Game 5 fourth-quarter spat with the Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Gary Payton II was about his desire to shoot the ball after the whistle heading into a commercial break.

Tatum detailed the situation, which saw him hold the game ball for the entire timeout, following the Celtics' 104-94 loss, which gave the Dubs a 3-2 series lead.

Shooting the ball after the whistle is a bit of a gray area when it comes to the NBA's unwritten rules. Hall of Fame forward Kevin Garnett famously used to swat away any effort to get in the extra rep, but for the most part it happens without incident.

Green and Payton, sensing Tatum's desire to hoist up a shot, escorted him straight to the Celtics bench for the media timeout, so the C's star decided to just keep the ball.

It was a touch of gamesmanship amid a hard-fought series.

Golden State held a 12-point lead at halftime, but Boston stormed back, outscoring the Dubs 35-24 in the third quarter.

The Warriors defense turned up the intensity in the final period, holding the Celtics to 26.7 percent shooting (4-of-15), to regain control of Game 5.

Now Boston must win the final two games of the series to capture its first NBA championship since 2008. Golden State is seeking its fourth title since 2015.

"I've said it before: You better be confident, right?" Tatum told reporters. "We ain't got to win two in one day. We just got to win one game on Thursday. We've been in this situation before. So it's not over. Got to win on Thursday. That's all we got to worry about right now."

The Celtics found themselves in the same situation in the second round when they trailed the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks 3-2 before winning the last two games in lopsided fashion.

They'll try to repeat that feat beginning Thursday night when the series returns to their home floor, TD Garden. Staying away from the battle-tested Warriors' mind games would be a wise way to go.

For the first four games of the NBA Finals, Stephen Curry did the heavy lifting for the Golden State Warriors. The question for the Dubs was who might step up if Curry had an off night.

And the answer, resoundingly, was Andrew Wiggins.

The man nicknamed Maple Jordan was awesome Monday night, scoring 26 points and adding 13 boards in Golden State's 104-94 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors took a 3-2 lead in the series.

Wiggins was justifiably the toast of NBA Twitter after the win:

Curry had his first poor shooting night in this series, finishing 7-of-22 from the field for 16 points. He was 0-of-9 from the field, though he did add eight assists to just one turnover.

The Warriors won with depth—Klay Thompson had 21 points, while Jordan Poole and Gary Payton II combined to score 29 points off the bench—and consistency. The Celtics, meanwhile, killed themselves with turnovers (18) and poor free-throw shooting (21-of-31).

And while Jayson Tatum played well (27 points, 10 boards), his running mate Jaylen Brown struggled mightily (18 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field).

Ultimately, though, this was the Wiggins game. If the Warriors go on to win the title, this performance won't soon be forgotten.

The Dubs will have the chance to wrap things up in Boston on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

The momentum in the 2022 NBA Finals is squarely with the Golden State Warriors ahead of Monday's Game 5 at Chase Center. But Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum isn't shaken in the slightest.

"We've been here before, third time in a row, I feel like, that we've been here. So we know what it takes. We know what we have to do, the attention to detail, things like that," Tatum told reporters Sunday. "And I'm confident, like I've been all playoffs, confident in the fact that we'll respond and play better for the majority of the game tomorrow."

The Warriors managed to tie the series 2-2 with a 107-97 victory in Friday's Game 4 at TD Garden. Golden State star point guard Stephen Curry poured in 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting with seven three-pointers.

Tatum had 23 points Friday but struggled with his efficiency, shooting 8-of-23 from the field. It was the 24-year-old's third time in the series against the Warriors that he shot under 40 percent. He admitted after the game that he expects better from himself.

"It's on me. I got to be better," Tatum said. "I know I'm impacting the game in other ways, but I got to be more efficient, shoot the ball better, finish at the rim better. I take accountability for that."

The Celtics managed to steal a win on the Warriors' home floor in Game 1, so they're not intimidated by the prospect of returning to the Bay Area for Game 5. Tatum indicated that his teammates relish the opportunity to score an upset in a road game.

"They got a great crowd, great fanbase. Obviously, they've been in this position many of times. ... But, you know, it's basketball," Tatum said Sunday. "I feel like, for whatever reason, we played somewhat better on the road this playoffs than we have at home."