Celtics
“Obviously that’s our brother, and you hate to see him go down.”
Al Horford might have said it best following Monday’s 121-113 loss to the New York Knicks.
Yes, the Celtics’ hopes of repeating as NBA champions are nearly snuffed out after falling into a 3-1 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
But less than an hour after watching his teammate Jayson Tatum get carried off the hardwood at Madison Square Garden, Horford’s focus had little to do with the state of the team.
“The loss is the loss. More importantly it’s Jayson that I’m worried about,” Horford said. “Just making sure I’m here for him. That’s my priority.”
On a night where the Celtics’ 2024-25 season was pushed on the brink, Tatum’s status moving forward could create even more dire ramifications for Boston’s contention window in 2025-26 and beyond.
No official update has been released about Tatum’s condition after the superstar forward was felled by a non-contact ankle injury with less than three minutes to go in regulation.
But based on the optics of a distraught Tatum needing a wheelchair to make his through the tunnels underneath MSG — as well as the sentiment shared by his Celtics teammates — bad news feels all but inevitable on Tuesday.
“It’s tough,” Jaylen Brown said of Tatum’s injury before taking an extended pause. “There’s not really a lot to say.”
Speaking after Monday’s loss, Brown acknowledged that both he and the rest of his teammates haven’t had an opportunity to speak with Tatum. And while the rest of Boston’s roster — much like a concerned fanbase — wait with baited breath over just how long No. 0 will be sidelined, a shaken team has little time to dwell on Tatum’s status.
“I think everybody’s concerned with Jayson,” Brown said. “I’m not sure how bad it is. Didn’t look great. But I think everybody is kind of more concerned with [the injury]. Obviously the loss is huge. But we’ve got to get ready for Game 5, so we’ll take the night and pick our heads up tomorrow and put together a game plan to come out on our own floor to keep this series alive.”
“I mean, obviously that’s our brother, and you hate to see him go down,” Derrick White added. “We just know the type of guy he is, and it’s just tough to see him go down. But obviously, right now, it’s pretty low because of the game, and we just got to find a way to win Game 5.”
For all of the optimism drawn from Celtics fans entering this latest playoff run, a string of critical injuries and lapses in execution now have Boston facing a painful summer.
Tatum, Brown (knee), Jrue Holiday (hamstring), Sam Hauer (ankle sprain), and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) have all been sidelined in some capacity this postseason.
Brown’s trademark athleticism has been sapped some by his lingering knee pain, while the prolonged symptoms from an ongoing illness has Porzingis operating at far below his capabilities.
But Tatum’s injury holds the most weight for a win-now Celtics roster — especially coming off a night where the 27-year-old forward was brilliant on the court (42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, two blocks).
“We’re grown men, you know?” Porzingis said. “Who hasn’t had injuries? It’s a part of this sport, part of this game, and we feel for him, of course. But we have to move forward. He doesn’t want us to be sad and not playing our best basketball. So we’re going to go out there and leave it all out there and live with the results.”
The odds aren’t in the Celtics’ favor for the remainder of this series, especially with Tatum likely ruled out moving forward.
But Porzingis believes that Boston still has the means to keep their season alive — with or without their best player.
“We have the talent, we have a lot of talent,” Porzingis said. “Even with JT out, even me maybe playing 10-15 minutes, we have the guys and we’ve shown in the past that we can play still really good basketball.
“Obviously, like, there’s no replacement for this guy, no? Like, this is a big hit for us, 100 percent. But again, we have to play with the hand we’re dealt right now, and this is it. Going forward, maybe not, maybe not. Who knows? I don’t know. But we’re gonna play with what we have.”
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.