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In the game against the New York Knicks where Jayson Tatum went to the floor in painful pain, the team went down with him.
With the star small forward having to be wheeled out of the arena, the Boston Celtics are one game away from being eliminated by the Knicks. While the severity of Tatum's injury is unknown, it is estimated to be his Achilles tendon that is hurting him.
His possible elimination and the 27-year-old's health status is a concern for the team and its fans. So far in his career, Tatum has not had to go through a major injury, but if this one is, he would miss the remainder of the Playoffs and even several more games.
The real cost of his injury
Heading into a new season, the cost of maintaining the roster they currently have would exceed $500 million. For this reason, Boston Celtics plan to pivot, retaining their stars like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and explore trade options during the preseason to compete.
His talent and play has led Tatum to sign a $313 million contract extension with the Celtics. In fact, before leaving the game, he had 42 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.
And although his salary next season will be $57 million, this would represent a major headache if he remains inactive, so the team is forced to take advantage and build a competitive roster.
Should Tatum recover soon, the team could relax but not completely, as it is in their roots to go out and compete. With the current state of the roster and with a possible Jayson affected for an extended period, the team would have no choice.
Celtics Boston's next step
Now, on Thursday the 15th, Game 5 will be played in which the Knicks will leave everything on the Celtics' court and try to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in the last 25 years.
Boston on their side will have to come back from 1-3, although only 13 teams were able to achieve this feat in the history of the NBA playoffs. Without Tatum and with the pressure of win or win, will they be able to come back from this game?