Jayson Tatum boldly predicts Boston Celtics will win 2019 NBA Finals

Vinciane Ngomsi
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
Jayson Tatum boldly predicted the Boston Celtics will win this year’s NBA Finals. (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)t
Jayson Tatum boldly predicted the Boston Celtics will win this year’s NBA Finals. (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)t

From Jayson Tatum’s lips to everyone’s ears, the Boston Celtics are 2019’s NBA Finals winners.

“We’re going to win the finals this year,” Tatum said Saturday night after winning the Taco Bell Skills Challenge during NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. “February 16th, Jayson Tatum said we’re going to win the finals this year.”

The Celtics are currently fourth in the east, 6.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Bucks. Perhaps Tatum’s emphatic confidence about the Cs’ chances of winning their first championship since 2008 comes from their impressive run shortly before the All-Star break, during which they won seven of 10 games.

However, one thing Boston would have to manage in this crucial second half of the season is its consistency against subpar opponents. Falling to the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns at home late last year was embarrassing, and earlier this month, Boston lost to the under-.500 Los Angeles Lakers on a buzzer-beater by ex-Celtic Rajon Rondo.

Even though Boston is among the heavyweights in the East, the stars would have to align for Tatum’s prediction to come true this year, considering the Warriors have added DeMarcus Cousins and look every bit the favorite. Nevertheless, the collection of talent in Boston will likely contend for seasons to come.

Despite superstar Kyrie Irving’s future in Boston being a topic of contention, Tatum recently declared he’d like to remain in New England for the rest of his career, and is ready to put in the work to become a champion.

“I play basketball and I just got to control what I can control,” the Duke alum told ESPN on Saturday. “I love being on the Celtics. I want to be there my whole career.”

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Thunder guard Diallo skies over Shaq to win NBA Slam Dunk Contest
• Forde: Kentucky exposes Vols as overrated, no matter what Calipari thinks
• Real Madrid suffers shock home defeat as captain Ramos is sent off
• Steelers’ Brown: Players fear losing ‘meal ticket’ if they challenge Big Ben