After a stunning loss on Thursday night, former Duke standout Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics find themselves in a do-or-die Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The series is now tied 3-3, and the pressure is on for the Celtics to defend their home court.

Tatum put up a solid stat line in Thursday's defeat—17 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists on 6-of-13 shooting—but it wasn't enough to close out the series. Now, with everything on the line, the All-Star forward is focusing on what needs to change.

"We want to go out there and play the right way and win," Tatum told reporters after the game. "We just got to be a little bit more together, a little bit tougher, play with more pace, play faster."

The Celtics star emphasized that execution needs to improve across the board. "It sounds cliche, but we just have to do everything tougher—screen tougher, catch the ball with more pace, have a little bit more intention with things that we want to do," he explained.

One glaring issue that could haunt Boston in Game 7 is their free-throw shooting. The team shot just 56% from the line, missing seven attempts in a game where every point mattered. For a team with championship aspirations, those missed opportunities could prove costly.

As the Celtics prepare for the decisive matchup, Tatum's message is clear: it's not about grand adjustments, but about playing with more urgency and toughness. For fans watching at home, this is the kind of playoff drama that defines legacies—and for Tatum, it's a chance to prove he can lead his team when it matters most.