Terrible news out of Boston Tuesday after it was confirmed by the Celtics that star forward Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter of their Game 4 matchup against the New York Knicks. This news was reported by Tim Bontempts of ESPN and reported from the Celtics that, “The team said the surgery was a success and that no timetable was available for his return”. This injury could not have come at a worse time for the Celtics, who now find themselves on the brink of elimination after losing 121-113 in Madison Square Garden in what was a pivotal game for Boston to level the series at 2-2 before heading back home. Now the Celtics have to face a pivotal Game 5 elimination game without their best player.
Tatum has played the most regular season and playoff contests of any player in the NBA since entering league in 2017 – 706 games – and led the Celtics in total points, rebounds and assists over the last two postseason runs, including the entire 2024 Finals en route to a title. https://t.co/JthJEPPc05
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 13, 2025
Tatum has had some tough games this playoffs but seemed unphased by his inconsistent three-point shooting after dropping 42 points off 16-for-28 shooting, 7-for-16 from beyond the arc. Tatum was almost willing his team to a Game 4 win after falling to the floor late in the fourth quarter and instantly grabbing his right Achilles. Although the Celtics lost the game and are now on the brink of elimination, you could tell the main focus was on the superstar that was drafted in 2017.
Jayson Tatum just tore his Achilles
— Degen Hours (@degenhours_) May 13, 2025
Things could not get worse for Celtics fans rnpic.twitter.com/liny262trw
Tatum had to be helped off the court and the wheelchaired to the locker room after sustaining the injury. Terrible sight to see if you’re a Celtics fan or a fan of sports in general.
Many high profile players have torn their Achilles in recent years, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and more recently, Damian Lillard who suffered the same injury in the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. Only time will tell how Tatum recovers from this injury and how long, but if any team has a deep enough bench to compete with their backs’ against the wall it’s the Boston Celtics. Fortunately for the C’s they get to be in their own building for the biggest game of their season but with the way the Knicks have been playing it will be a tall task to force a Game 6 back to New York.
