The Boston Celtics couldn’t have envisaged a worse ending to Recreation 4 of their second-round matchup in opposition to the New York Knicks than the one which transpired on Monday evening. Along with shedding a barnburner to the Knicks, 121-113, to fall down 3-1 within the sequence, they noticed Jayson Tatum go down with a non-contact harm late within the fourth that some concern is a torn Achilles, placing an enormous damper on what was an unimaginable Recreation 4 efficiency from him the place he scored 42 factors on 16-28 taking pictures from the sector.
With Tatum nursing a serious-looking harm, circumstances are trying dire for the Celtics with reference to their probabilities of repeating as NBA champion. However past that, the long-term repercussions of a Tatum harm implies that darker occasions may very well be forward for the league’s winningest franchise, as per the musings of lifetime Celtics fan Invoice Simmons.
“This might go down as one of many darker Celtic days. [Tatum’s] on the peak of his profession. He is by no means had a serious harm. If it is a main one, it simply would not take him out for this playoffs, nevertheless it takes him out for, I feel, all of subsequent yr too,” Simmons stated on his podcast, by way of The Ringer.
The one silver lining to be present in a possible long-term Tatum harm is that he is solely 27 years previous, so he has loads of time to recuperate and regain celebrity standing even when he’ll face a prolonged stint on the sidelines. However the Celtics are constructed to win now, and Tatum being absent on account of harm makes it near-impossible for them to compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
For now, what’s necessary is that Tatum be in nearly as good of an emotional situation as he will be as he faces essentially the most devastating problem of his wonderful profession.
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Jayson Tatum carries Celtics on his again earlier than taking place with harm
Jayson Tatum is likely one of the most disrespected superstars on social media; many clown him for his tendency to accept powerful jumpshots. However on Monday evening, Tatum was merely not prepared to let the Celtics go down 3-1, as he was on fireplace and put up 42 factors earlier than he went down with the unlucky harm.
After final yr, many consider that there’s an argument to be made that Tatum is not the Celtics’ finest participant — it is Brown. However with their backs in opposition to the wall, it was Tatum who answered the decision, just for him to succumb to an harm that’s trying prone to hold him out for lengthy interval.