NBA Analyst Makes Bold Claim About Jayson Tatum, Celtics After Game 1 Rout originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics made a statement with their huge Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, clobbering the 76ers in a historic 123-91 rout at TD Garden.

It was an impressive performance by the entire team, especially Jayson Tatum. Eleven months after tearing his Achilles in last year's playoffs, Tatum scored 21 points in the first half. He finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, turning in a vintage Tatum performance.

On "Hoops Tonight," NBA analyst Jayson Timpf praised Tatum for his remarkable performance.

Somehow, some way, Jayson Tatum & the Celtics are BETTER than last year pic.twitter.com/SNPsjBKZyL

"He was awesome in Game 1 of the playoffs. Doing all of the s**t he did last year," Timpf said. "Controlling the defensive glass. Incredible defensive versatility. Playmaking...and dunking in traffic. He looked explosive."

Timpf also thinks the Celtics are arguably better than they were last year, even though they won five fewer games this season.

"I just think the Tatum-Brown duo is better than it was last year," Timpf continued. "I just think this is a better version of the Celtics. I can't believe it, after everything that happened, but I'm just more impressed by this team as a playoff threat this year."

That may be true, but Boston needs to prove itself against some more serious competition first. Philadelphia was missing Joel Embiid on Sunday and was already a seven seed to begin with, so let's see how the Celtics fare in a series with the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers before declaring them better than last year.

More NBA: Jayson Tatum Praises 76ers After Celtics' Strong Game 1 Showing