On a night where Kyrie Irving entered as the game’s main attraction, Jayson Tatum managed to steal the show. The Celtics star became the third-youngest player in NBA history to post a 50-point playoff performance, leading Boston to a 125-119 Game 2 win over the Nets.

Brooklyn remains the superior team in this series, but on nights where Tatum is virtually unstoppable, the Celtics can keep pace with just about anyone. That was the case Friday night, as Tatum dropped 50 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block on 16-of-30 shooting. There wasn’t much Brooklyn could do to stop the All-Star wing, and that’s been the case with many opponents down the stretch this season. Just last week, Tatum dropped 50 points in the Celtics’ play-in victory over the Washington Wizards. Including Friday’s performance, he now has four 50-point efforts, the most in the NBA.

When Boston can run actions to get Tatum going downhill, he’s as dangerous as any scorer in the NBA. The Celtics moved away from that in the second half of Game 1 and most of Game 2 thanks to Brooklyn’s aggressive switching. The Nets’ physicality, especially along the perimeter, forced Boston into some isolated, stagnant stretches that resulted in bad looks for Tatum and Kemba Walker, among others. Friday, the Celtics were aggressive, with Tatum leading the charge. Even with the hot hand, Tatum did a great job of getting his teammates involved, utilizing his court vision throughout the second half. On numerous occasions, the 23-year-old beat his defender on the perimeter, drew the attention inside, and kicked out to the open man outside. Fighting Brooklyn’s defensive aggression with some sharp offensive intensity of their own was effective for Boston in Game 3. Expect them to do that once again in front of a full capacity crowd at TD Garden on Sunday night.

At this time of year, Tatum can bring the same value as a hot goaltender in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If he’s on his game, his team has a shot. In a postgame interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, Tristan Thompson emphasized the importance of Tatum, adding that he made sure to tell him directly how vital his offensive output is to this team.

“He’s gotta do that,” Thompson said. “At the end of the day, we don’t have (Jaylen Brown), and tonight, Kemba didn’t have the best shooting night, but he changed this game with his playmaking and rebounding and guarding Kyrie very well. So, for (Tatum), big-time players gotta step up in these moments. When the lights are bright, the golden child has to come in and do what he’s got to do. I told (Tatum) after the game, ‘You’ve gotta run it back Sunday. We’re going to need that from you. We're going to go as far as you take us, so you gotta come out and bring that intensity and go be that player that we all know you can be.’”

It sounds like a crazy request, but at this point, against this Brooklyn team, Tatum has to be extraordinary to give the Celtics a chance. That becomes amplified on nights where Walker is off and not drawing as much attention as he would when he’s scoring at a higher clip. Marcus Smart was the man to step up to the plate for Boston in Game 3, scoring 23 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting night. He hit big 3 after big 3 to keep the Celtics ahead in the second half and was perfect in pacing the offense alongside Tatum’s absurd output. Whether it’s Smart, Walker, Thompson or Evan Fournier, the secondary contributors will need to continue to step up as well. Thompson was huge Friday, posting 19 points and 13 rebounds in his best game since arriving in Boston last offseason. Tatum, however, remains the most important element.

Again, Boston isn’t facing your average opponent. The Nets are legitimate title contenders with arguably the most talented roster in the NBA, but Tatum’s ability to take hold of a game is noteworthy and proven at this point. Like Thompson said, the Celtics will go as far as Tatum takes them. Boston’s climb against the Nets is a brutally-steep one, and it more than likely will be out of reach come the end of this series. Tatum’s ability to make it interesting says a lot about his rapid development into one of the league’s best scorers. The Nets are better than the Celtics, that much we know. But Tatum is the wild card that will keep us watching.