The Boston Celtics dropped another game in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks to go down 3-1 in the series. Still, the biggest blow of the night was Jayson Tatum suffering a lower leg injury that looked like an Achilles tear.
Bill Simmons, a lifelong Celtics fan, was devastated by what transpired at Madison Square Garden.
"This could go down as one of the darker Celtics days, I mean, honestly. Not to mention that he's at the peak of his career. He's never had a major injury, Tatum. If this is like a major one, it doesn't just take him out for this playoffs but also for all of next year, too. As you said, he's in his late 20s and you just wonder if he's able to get back to the point that he was at tonight, so we'll find out," Simmons said on his podcast postgame.
Although no official reports have confirmed that Tatum suffered an Achilles injury, there's a good chance he'll be out for the remainder of the series, which means the odds of Boston winning this series just got slimmer.
If the defending champions get eliminated by the Knicks, that might be the last time their title-winning core plays together, given that there are already reports circulating that the organization will make big roster changes in the offseason. That, on top of JT possibly missing one whole season due to rehab, reminded Simmons how hard it is to win a championship in today's NBA.
"This speaks to A. How hard it is to win a title. B. How important injury luck is. C. How hard it is to just put together some good years in a row. Like even to be in the Finals two years in a row with how basketball is played now with how intense and physical it is," Bill said.
"Tatum was playing 40-43 minutes a night doing everything. He was the leading rebounder, he was guarding [Jalen] Brunson a few times and today, he was kind of their best option to guard [Jalen] Brunson. He was their point forward over and over again he's attacking the rim," he added.
After suffering a 123-113 loss, the Celtics players were in low spirits, admitting that Tatum's injury remains a huge concern. Jaylen Brown , in particular, revealed that the guys were at a loss for words as the reigning Finals MVP seemed more devastated about his running mate's injury than the fact that they're now on the brink of elimination.
The Celtics have no choice but to carry on, even if this was the last time they had their best player on the floor this season. Not many people will give them a chance to turn the series around. But Joe Mazulla and Co. have shown numerous times they can be at their best when their backs are against the wall. With or without Tatum, now is the time to get to that level. Otherwise, their season might be over.
