The Boston Celtics‘ playoff run took a devastating flip Monday evening after celebrity ahead Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon late in Sport 4 towards the New York Knicks. The staff confirmed Tuesday that Tatum underwent surgical procedure, which they known as profitable, although no timetable has been introduced for his return.
Tatum was in the midst of a postseason masterpiece—dropping 42 factors on 16-for-28 capturing—earlier than collapsing in ache with slightly below three minutes left within the fourth quarter. The sight of Boston’s franchise participant being carried off the courtroom left followers and teammates shaken.
“I’m involved about Jayson. That’s an important to me,” stated veteran Al Horford postgame. “The sport stuff, we’ll deal with it. However I’m simply hoping that he’s OK.”
The harm comes as a large blow to the Celtics, who are actually going through elimination and might be with out their chief for the rest of the playoffs—and probably properly into subsequent season. The 27-year-old has been a cornerstone of Boston’s resurgence, incomes 4 consecutive All-NBA First Workforce picks and main the staff in factors, rebounds, and assists throughout final yr’s championship run.
Earlier than the harm, Tatum had tied Celtics legends Larry Chicken and John Havlicek with 5 profession 40-point playoff video games. He ranks second solely to LeBron James in playoff factors scored earlier than the age of 27.
Achilles accidents have a protracted restoration timeline. Previous NBA stars like Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant have wanted a yr or extra to return to kind—casting critical doubt on whether or not Tatum might be prepared for the beginning of the 2025-26 season.
Regardless of holding double-digit leads in three of 4 video games, the Celtics path the Knicks 3-1 within the sequence. With out Tatum, the street to a repeat championship simply acquired considerably tougher.
“Clearly all of us realized what this might imply,” stated Celtics large man Kristaps Porzingis. “It’s exhausting to just accept, however that is a part of the game. We’ve to maintain transferring ahead with what we have now now.”
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