Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Check out the scene outside Madison Square Garden after the Knicks’ win. There’s nothing like New York when the Knicks are good.
In today’s SI:AM:
Brutal break for the Celtics
After a thrilling first two games of their second-round series (followed by a Game 3 dud), the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics were headed for another exciting finish in Game 4 on Monday night. And then everything changed for the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum had scored 42 points before he crumpled to the floor with a leg injury with three minutes left in the game. It was immediately clear from how Tatum writhed in pain that the injury was a serious one. The way he was carried off the floor, unable to place any weight on his right leg, confirmed that, and the shot of him crying while being pushed in a wheelchair through the bowels of the arena showed that Tatum could sense how severe the injury was.
When Tatum went down, the Celtics trailed 113–104. With him on the floor, a comeback would have been challenging, but not impossible. Without him, the Knicks were able to close out the game easily and take a 3–1 lead in the series.
Tatum’s injury is a shame for several reasons. The most immediate impact was that it cut short a classic duel between Tatum and Jalen Brunson, who had both caught fire in the second half. Tatum had scored 11 of Boston’s 19 fourth-quarter points before he was injured, and Brunson was the key to the Knicks’ comeback with 26 in the second half. Tatum’s willingness to take—and ability to drain—threes from way behind the arc can change a game in a flash. He and Brunson could have continued trading blows in the final minute, but the injury sucked the air out of the building. It’s a shame a great game had to end that way.
In terms of the rest of the series, Tatum’s injury obviously makes a Boston win far less likely. The Celtics now need to win three straight without their best player against a team that is highly motivated to reach its first conference finals in 25 years. It’s not an impossible task, though. Boston still has Jaylen Brown, who showed when he was named MVP of last year’s conference finals and NBA Finals that he was just as capable of taking over a game as Tatum was. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are also capable of catching fire from three. Tatum’s absence will be significant, but the Celtics have players on their roster who can step up to soften the blow.
But Tatum’s injury could also have serious long-term implications for the Celtics. The team did not release a statement on the injury, and coach Joe Mazzulla provided no update other than to say Tatum will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. What happened to Tatum, though, looks a lot like what happened to other athletes who have torn their Achilles tendon: a non-contact injury after planting their leg and an inability to place any weight on the leg in question. It’s similar to what happened when Damian Lillard tore his Achilles earlier this postseason.
If Tatum’s injury is an Achilles, it would almost assuredly keep him out for all of next season. That would instantly knock the Celtics from the ranks of title contenders and jumble the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference.
In the locker room after the game, the rest of the Celtics expressed concern for their teammate but stressed that they have to keep their focus and try to save their season at home in Game 5.
“Well, it’s very concerning,” Al Horford said. “Just from the care that I have for him and what he means to us, what he means to Boston. Just very tough for us.
“More importantly, it’s just really tough for him right now. Let’s see what happens. Just is very tough for our group altogether.”
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• Chris Mannix was in Chicago for the NBA draft lottery, where the Mavericks defied the odds to earn the No. 1 pick and the right to select Cooper Flagg.
• I wonder how Tyler Lauletta’s ranking of the best possible NBA Finals matchups would change after Jayson Tatum’s injury.
• With spring practice in the rearview, our college football primer series begins with Bryan Fischer’s look at the ACC.
• Bob Harig breaks down the biggest story lines at this week’s PGA Championship.
• Not happy with how the NFL draft went for your team? Daniel Flick is already looking forward to the 2026 draft, with a new projection that has five quarterbacks going in the top 10.
• Michael Jordan will be contributing to NBC’s coverage of the NBA when the network acquires broadcast rights next season.
• Flagg has grown an inch since the start of his freshman year at Duke, according to measurements taken at the NBA combine.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. The camera work on Pete Alonso’s walk-off sac fly for the Mets. I love the split screen showing how the runner tagged up.
4. This step-back jumper by Anthony Edwards for three of his 16 fourth-quarter points.
3. Adam Henrique’s second goal of the night for the Oilers, followed by a big scrum. It was a really physical game. Just a few minutes earlier, Nicolas Hague and Trent Frederic had the sort of fight you rarely see in the playoffs.
2. A beautiful fadeaway jumper by Jalen Brunson. I swear half his points came on shots like that.
1. Rangers pitcher Chris Martin’s quick reflexes on a line drive back to the mound.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Jayson Tatum’s Injury Is Crushing on Multiple Levels .
