Jayson Tatum is owning up to his struggles through the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals as the Boston Celtics face an 0-2 hole against the New York Knicks. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Tatum stated he has to "be better" and expects "to be a lot better" for Game 3 in Madison Square Garden.

Unfortunately, Tatum has fallen well short of expectations. With his Boston Celtics now down 2-0 to the New York Knicks in the East semis, former NBA veteran and popular ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins took the All-Star to task for failing to step up and protect the Cs' home court.

I take full ownership of the way that I’ve played in this series,” Jayson Tatum said Thursday. “I can’t sugarcoat anything. I need to be better.”