NEW YORK — For most of Monday night, Jayson Tatum was on top of the world. As three-point shot after three-point shot fell, a boisterous Madison Square Garden crowd itching for a 3-1 Knicks series lead momentarily quieted.
After each of his seven made three-pointers in Game 4, Tatum raised his wrist over his head, in a goofy ode to the wrist injury he suffered in the postseason opener against the Magic — a celebration concocted by Baylor Sheierman. The Celtics’ rookie, alongside the rest of the players on the bench, held up their wrist in celebration in synchrony each time Tatum sank a shot from beyond the arc.
Tatum ultimately tallied 42 points in the game, his highest playoff output since a 51-point Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers nearly two years ago. Monday’s onslaught included fadeaway twos, pull-up threes, and a lethal display of the type of shotmaking that has allowed Tatum to solidify himself as one of the decade’s most prolific playoff scorers.
But the Game 4 scene that will live on won’t be Tatum’s barrage of field goals — it’ll be the picture of Tatum writhing in pain on the parquet floor, alongside Nick Sang, his close friend and trainer.
In a flash, the durable superstar who had never missed a playoff game before this season — and who admittedly fights with Celtics leadership to avoid even the most inconsequential time off — desperately gestured for a “timeout” before being carried off the floor by Celtics trainers.
“It’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that,” Joe Mazzulla said, noting that Tatum is usually quick to his feet after hard falls.
ESPN cameras later showed the 27-year-old Celtics star bawling as he was wheeled away, the future of the Celtics — both near-term and long-term — hanging in the fold.
The extent or severity of Tatum’s injury has yet to be announced
But numerous doctors online confidently expressed concern that Tatum had suffered an Achilles tear, in part due to the non-contact nature of the fall. Mazzulla simply offered that it was a lower-leg injury, sharing that Tatum will get an MRI on Tuesday.
Tatum’s initial reaction — a far departure from his typical response to injuries — seemed to emphasize the severity of the situation.
“Obviously, we all realized in our heads, like what this could mean,” Kristaps Porzingis said of his initial reaction to Tatum’s fall.
Entering Monday’s game, Tatum averaged 26.1 points per game on 39.5% shooting in the playoffs.
And, despite dropping the first two games, the Celtics entered Game 4 confident, assuring reporters they had no doubt they could respond to a 2-0 series hole.
“I think that everybody on this team felt the same way about the first two games,” said Jrue Holiday at Celtics’ shootaround on Monday morning, explaining that nobody’s confidence wavered after the team fell behind in the series.
Still, the Game 4 loss was practically cemented by the time Tatum went down; after leading by double-digits for most of the half, the Celtics trailed by 9 points with three minutes to go due to a slew of defensive mistakes, rebounding woes, and costly turnovers.
“Our defense let us down,” said Jaylen Brown. “Just no resistance.”
But, with Tatum’s health in jeopardy, even a situation as harrowing as a 3-1 series deficit against a division rival felt secondary.
“The loss is the loss,” said a visibly emotional Al Horford in the locker room postgame. “More importantly, it’s Jayson I’m worried about.”
A hush fell over the Celtics locker room postgame
A deafening silence engulfed the locker room as players exited the showers and dressed, the lack of banter and postgame small talk evident. The locker room was so quiet that every subdued noise felt amplified — from the rhythmic water dripping from the showers, to the nervous chewing of a mint by a Celtics assistant coach, to Tatum’s mother, Brandy Cole, wheeling a suitcase down the halls.
Brown, who has been teammates with Tatum since he was drafted in 2017, struggled to find words to capture his feelings at the podium.
“There’s really not a lot to say,” Brown finally said after a few extended pauses.
And Horford, who Tatum has routinely hailed as his favorite teammate, didn’t even try to minimize the gravity of the situation.
“It’s very concerning,” he said. “Just from the care that I have him, and what he means to us, what he means to Boston… It’s very tough for us, but more importantly, it’s really tough for him right now.”
The Celtics’ season is not officially over — but an end appears close
In the aftermath of Monday night, the Celtics must find a way to regroup ahead of their first elimination game since 2023 — a must-win Game 5 at TD Garden. A loss could potentially mark the final game in green for any current Celtic, with a whole suite of offseason changes expected.
If the Celtics can pull off that improbable win, they’ll make another trip to MSG, where they’ll try to stay alive in a Game 6.
Coming back from a 3-1 deficit would have been a tall task even if the team was fully healthy.
But, with their leading scorer, rebounder, and playmaker sidelined indefinitely, such a comeback seems highly unlikely.
“They’ll be ready. That’s just who they are,” Mazzulla said. “It’s been that way. It’s the locker room that they have, and they’ll be ready. You trust the character of the guys in moments like this, and you take it one game at a time.”
No NBA team defending an NBA title has made it out of the second round since the Warriors did so in 2019. The Celtics, who aimed to go back-to-back for the first time since 1969, are now on the brink of elimination.
For now, the Celtics must lean on one another as they have all year, with Game 5 a day and a half away.
“We got enough in this locker room,” said Brown. “I believe in my guys.”
