The Boston Celtics were able to get the win in Game 5 despite Jayson Tatum being out injured.
The Boston Celtics refused to be down-and-out after losing Game 4 and seeing Jayson Tatum tear his Achilles.
In a must-win Game 5, the Celtics came out of the blocks hot to secure a big win over the Knicks to force a Game 6 back in Madison Square Garden.
The Celtics locker room must have rallied, considering how upset they were after Game 4 and Tatum got hurt. Jaylen Brown had issued quite the warning to his Celtics teammates, and it seems to have worked.
Their performance was so good that Jalen Brunson was forced to apologize for how they played him. As much as Knicks fans are worried about this series, should Jayson Tatum worry more about his future?
Read More: LeBron James sends two-word message to Jayson Tatum as Joe Mazzulla provides update on horrific injury
While losing Jayson Tatum is undoubtedly a blow for the Boston Celtics, it might not be as drastic as fans might believe.
Tatum has missed 12 games for the Celtics this year, across the regular season and the playoffs. And the Celtics’ record in those 12 games show that they know how to win without Tatum.
In these 12 games, the Celtics are 10-2 when Tatum isn’t playing for them. Not only should this statistic inspire confidence among Celtics fans, but it should also terrify Knicks fans.
If the Celtics are this prolific with Jayson Tatum not playing, then them coming back from down 3-1 is entirely possible.
Read More: NBA fans all agree on Derrick White as Boston Celtics blow out Knicks despite Jayson Tatum’s absence
If Tatum’s absence isn’t proving to be too detrimental for the Celtics, might the team consider building around Jaylen Brown instead?
Regardless of the Celtics’ playoff outcomes, they are likely to make big changes to the team to avoid a $500 million salary bill for another year.
Add to this the fact that Brown seems to excel under pressure and Tatum seems to crumble, and the Celtics might decide to prioritize Brown over Tatum.
Is it likely to happen? No, not unless Tatum comes back a completely different player from his Achilles injury.
