Celtics franchise face Jayson Tatum was released from a New York hospital Thursday, May 15 after undergoing late-season surgery to repair a ruptured right follow-up tendon. The injury occurred in Boston’s fourth loss to the Knicks in Game 121-113, and this moment turned the intense playoff series into an emotional struggle against the team.
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The 27-year-old All-Star team has reunited with teammates for the first time since being brought to the court to visit them at their Manhattan hotel. Although he won’t be playing another minute of the season, Tatum’s emotional performance adds to Boston’s new goal in despairing playoffs.
Personal visits to Sparks motivate team-wide
Tatum’s party with the Celtics is more than just a morale boost, a powerful reminder of the team’s bond that goes beyond basketball.
“It’s not worth seeing someone fall like that,” Celtic defender Sam Hauser said. “But he doesn’t want us to keep winning. We met him yesterday. He seems to be in spirit.”
For the Celtics, this visit helped reframe. The locker room is no longer just missing out on their best scorer. It witnesses a friend, a brother, who experiences profound personal things and fights with strength.
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard stressed that Tatum’s visit has nothing to do with the script or strategy.
“We didn’t talk about basketball at all. That thing is bigger than basketball right now,” Pritchard said. “When he’s alone, how do he handle things.”
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Boston’s resilience tests the Knicks in key matches
With Game 6 prompts, Boston faces a huge task of climbing from the 3-to-1 series of holes, a feat that only 13 teams in NBA history have achieved. But the Celtics are no strangers to adversity. With the situation in Tatum, head coach Joe Mazzulla and other teams will turn to their depth and push the series to Boston on Monday, with a decided 7 games on Monday.
Tatum’s recovery is expected to take about nine months, which is in line with the timeline of Kevin Durant faced after tearing apart in the 2019 NBA Finals. While Tatum’s return trip will be long, it’s clear that the Celtics are determined to extend their playoffs as long as possible and he’s still at the center of it all.
Celtics enters playoff battle in pain
The Celtics knew it was in danger. However, instead of viewing its current status as a death penalty, they use it as fuel. Tatum’s physical absence creates an emotional presence that is imminent.
Boston’s performance in Game 6 not only remembers basketball strategies or statistics, but also the human will behind the run. If they force Game 7, it will be more than a comeback, it will be a tribute.
