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The Boston Celtics‘ hopes of winning the NBA championship two years in a row may officially be over.
Last night, in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, the Celtics had built a comfortable double-digit lead, which has become synonymous with the series. However, the majority of those leads dwindled in the final moments, and while the Knicks were doing just that, Jayson Tatum suffered a leg injury.
His teammate, Jaylen Brown, was about to drive down the lane when the Knicks knocked it away. Tatum attempted to grab the loose ball but fell to the ground as OG Anunoby snagged the turnover on the fast break for a dunk.
As MSG erupted because the Knicks were up nine points, Tatum was still lying on the other end of the court, writhing in pain.
The Knicks take a 9-point lead and Celtics star Jayson Tatum goes down in serious pain with a lower leg injury. pic.twitter.com/oVAydv68tZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 13, 2025
Fans feared the worst as it was a non-contact injury, and while on the floor, he grabbed the back of his right leg. He was eventually helped up by Celtics staff and was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he was led to the back of the arena. Footage later caught him being rolled around in a wheelchair through the hallways.
Non-contact leg issues are often the scariest and most detrimental because they’re usually related to a knee or ankle injury that leaves athletes with about a year of rehab ahead of them.
After the game, head coach Joe Mazulla was hesitant to speak on Tatum’s condition, instead deferring to the medical staff as Tatum planned to undergo more testing.
“I talked to the medical staff, they told me it’s a lower body injury and he’ll get an MRI,” Mazzulla told reporters. “We’ll see where it goes from there.”
Brown gave his opinion on Tatum, saying he’s “not sure how bad it is” but admits it “didn’t look great.”
As the Celtics now wonder if Tatum will be sidelined for the 2025-2026 season, they’ve got to reset their focus on the series at hand. The Knicks are up 4-1 and look to close it out at TD Garden Wednesday night.
See social media’s reaction to Tatum below.
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