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The Boston Celtics suffered two big blows to their hopes of becoming the first NBA team to repeat as champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18. They suffered a 121-133 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday, falling into a 3-1 hole in their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup.
To make matters worse, Jayson Tatum was forced to leave the game late in the fourth quarter. The six-time All-Star was carried off of the court and placed in a wheelchair, with many speculating that he suffered a severe injury that could keep him out into next season.
An NBA insider provided a brief update on Tuesday, noting that Boston is preparing for a worst-case scenario.
"The Boston Celtics are bracing for the worst around Jayson Tatum and that right foot," ESPN's Shams Charania stated Tuesday. "He underwent an MRI today in New York City and the Celtics, since last night, have been expecting a severe injury for Tatum. 27 years old, not even really in the prime of his career, he's already one of the best Celtics of all-time. And in these playoffs, he's led them in total points, rebounds and assists for the second consecutive postseason. Win or lose, the Celtics, from my understanding, they've been destined for potential changes in the offseason and now they have Jayson Tatum, who's on a supermax contract, potentially with a serious injury."
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Tatum was having his best game of the series, breaking out in a major way in Game 4. At the time of his injury, he had 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks while shooting 16-28 from the field, 7-16 from three-point range and 3-3 from the free-throw line.
Despite him doing everything he can to even up the series, Boston was trailing 113-104 with 2:58 left to play at the time of Tatum's injury. The Celtics will likely be without their superstar on Wednesday as they look to keep their season alive in Game 5.
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