The Boston Celtics managed to win in Game 5 despite Jason Tatum being injured.
The Boston Celtics lost Game 4 and refused to step down after seeing Jason Tatum ripped off his Achilles.
In a must-see game 5, the Celtics came out of the block and got a big victory over the Knicks, forcing Game 6 at Madison Square Garden.
Given how upset they were after Game 4 and Tatum got injured, it must have been a gathering of the Celtics locker room. Jalen Brown had given him quite a bit of warning to his Celtics teammates, but it seems to have worked.
Their performance was so good that Jalen Brunson was forced to apologise for how they played him. As much as Knicks fans are worried about the series, should Jason Tatum be more concerned about his future?
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Losing Jason Tatum is undoubtedly a blow to the Boston Celtics, but it may not be as dramatic as fans believe it.
Tatum missed 12 Celtics games this year, through the regular season and playoffs. And the Celtics’ records in these 12 games show that they know how to win without Tatum.
In these 12 games, the Celtics are 10-2 when Tatum isn’t playing for them. This stat not only stimulates confidence among Celtics fans, but should scare Knicks fans.
If the Celtics are this prolific, it is entirely possible to come back from 3-1 if Jason Tatum is not played.
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If Tatum’s absence hasn’t proven to be too harmful to the Celtics, can the team consider building around Jaylen Brown instead?
Regardless of the Celtics’ playoff achievements, they could make major changes to their teams and avoid a $500 million salary bill for another year.
On top of this, Brown appears to excel under pressure, with Tatum falling apart and the Celtics may decide to prioritize Brown over Tatum.
Is it possible that it will happen? No, not unless Tatum returns to a completely different player than his Achilles injury.