In completely devastating information, Jayson Tatum has formally been identified with a ruptured Achilles tendon, an harm he suffered within the ultimate moments of the Boston Celtics’ Sport 4 loss to the New York Knicks. Tatum already underwent a profitable surgical procedure to restore the tendon, and can now be sidelined indefinitely with the expectation for the therapeutic and return-to-play course of to go nicely into subsequent season, if not longer.
As dire as issues really feel, Boston’s season isn’t but over. Their backs are towards the wall down 3-1 within the collection, however there’s nonetheless basketball to be performed.
And it’s time for the reigning Finals MVP to take over. It’s time for Jaylen Brown.
To this point Brown is averaging 20.5 factors, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks and three.5 turnovers on this collection towards the Knicks. He hasn’t been very environment friendly both, with 37.7/22.6/70.8 capturing splits. He’s removed from the one one who has been underwhelming this spherical, however with Jayson down, the burden now falls on him to steer this staff to victory.
It’s unfamiliar territory. Jaylen has solely performed in a single playoff recreation with out Jayson since Tatum got here into the league, that being Sport 2 of the earlier spherical matchup towards the Orlando Magic. Brown was implausible in that recreation, and gave Boston the whole lot they wanted to get the win. He performed practically 42 minutes whereas placing up 36 factors, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal on 12/19 capturing from the ground, 5/7 from three. With that efficiency, he led each groups in factors and rebounds, propelling the Celtics to a 109-100 victory.
Photograph by Maddie Meyer/Getty Photographs
The stakes are increased now, although. Regardless of how anybody might really feel about how this collection has gone, the very fact of the matter is that New York has been ok to take the collection lead over Boston. There is no such thing as a extra room for error.
It feels similar to a recreation which no Celtics fan desires to recollect: Sport 7 of the 2023 Jap Convention Finals, Boston Celtics versus Miami Warmth at TD Backyard. On practically the primary play of the sport, Jayson Tatum went up for a layup, and when he got here down it was proper on high of Cody Martin’s foot, leading to a extreme ankle sprain for JT. He stayed within the recreation, however he was clearly laboring with every step, and was actually only a shell of himself.
It was a recreation the place the remainder of the Celtics wanted to step up and take over for Jayson. They let him down tremendously, and Boston’s season ended that night time.
Jaylen Brown particularly acquired quite a lot of scrutiny for his incapacity to shoulder the load in that recreation, justifiably so. He completed the sport with 19 factors, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and a whopping 8 turnovers. He shot 8/23 from the ground and 1/9 from three.
A 12 months later, he stepped up in an enormous approach through the Celtics 23-24 playoff run to assist them safe Banner 18 and win the Jap Convention Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP. Now, Brown is with out his companion once more. His identify has already began circulating in commerce rumors once more earlier than the season has even ended. Everyone seems to be counting Boston out. It’s time for him to indicate the world why he earned that {hardware}.
It’s not going to be simple – it by no means is. However now it’s win or go dwelling. Let’s see what you bought, JB.
