Celtics star Jayson Tatum will be near Madison Square Garden as Boston faces a crucial situation against the New York Knicks on Friday night. The current champions are looking to force a seventh and decisive game.
Tatum has been discharged from a New York hospital after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon, an injury suffered at the end of Boston’s 121-113 loss to the Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 27-year-old All-Star had the opportunity to meet with his teammates on Thursday at the team hotel for the first time since he was taken off the court due to the injury. The team reported that the surgery he underwent on Tuesday was successful and he has been recovering in New York.
It’s hard to see someone fall like that, someone who doesn’t deserve it.
Sam Hauser, Celtics guard
Hauser also added that Tatum would want nothing more than to see the team keep winning. They saw him the day before and he seemed to be in good spirits. They are definitely thinking of him and trying to get wins for him.
Tatum is facing a recovery of approximately nine months due to his injury. Kevin Durant, when he ruptured his Achilles tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals, missed the entire 2019-20 season.
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard said seeing his “brother” was an emotional boost for everyone. They didn’t talk about basketball at all; that’s something bigger than basketball now. It’s about seeing how he is as a person, how he’s dealing with things. The basketball aspect, they’ll handle it. They just want to know how he’s doing as a friend.
If the Celtics win on Friday night, game seven would be on Monday night in Boston.
Boston is looking to become the fourteenth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.
