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Boston Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Reveals Coach Shows UFC Clips Before NBA Finals

The Celtics currently hold a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Drew Beaupre|
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Now just one win away from the Boston Celtics’ 18th NBA title, Jayson Tatum has revealed coach Joe Mazzulla shows the team specific footage from UFC fights as motivation to take down the Dallas Mavericks.

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A dominant regular season saw the Celtics put together the best record in the NBA and secure home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and in the first three rounds Tatum and company bested the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers to return to the NBA Finals.

The Celtics have now stormed out to a commanding 3-0 lead in the series over the Mavericks, and following Game 3 in Dallas (which the Celtics won 106-99) Tatum explained that head coach Mazzulla shows the team clips of UFC fighters attempting to fend off what appear to be fight-ending submissions.

“Joe [Mazzulla] does a great job of showing us clips and things from different sports. He’s a big UFC fan. Showing us fights of people that – I don’t know like the terminology of UFC – but put ‘em in a chokehold and s***. Like they’re about to tap out, and you just see the guy or the woman who’s winning relaxing, ‘cause they feel like they’re about to win, and then you give the other person life. Just trying to translate that to the game of basketball. The closer you are to winning, the closer they are to surviving. And basically just trying to remind us that we’ve still got a long way to go."
Jayson Tatum after Game 3

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As noted by Jason Hagholm, the ongoing NHL Stanley Cup Finals also featured a surprise instance of UFC/MMA crossover when Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad got his arm under the chin of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard and drew a tap from the latter player during Game 2 in Florida.

A dominant Game 1 for the Celtics led into considerably more competitive performances from the Mavericks in Games 2 and 3, and perhaps Mazzulla’s choice to show the team those UFC clips has paid off considering the Celtics fought off a fourth quarter rally during Game 3 in Dallas.

Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the other Celtics stars will certainly have to be ready for a huge push from the Mavericks in Game 4, and perhaps Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will be able to stave off defeat in the same way the fighters do in the UFC clips Mazzulla has been showing his team.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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