Despite a season where Jaylen Brown ascended to serious MVP consideration, in the playoffs, the Boston Celtics still go as Jayson Tatum goes.
When No. 0 goes down, so do the chances of surviving and advancing. See: the second round against New York in 2025 and the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami in 2023. Now, add this historically sour first-round exit against Philadelphia – the first time in Celtics franchise history they lost a series after previously holding a 3-1 lead. Boston finished their season on their own floor with a 109-100 loss.
Tatum was a late scratch for Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday afternoon. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he and the medical team made the call after he suffered stiffness in the back of his right knee – an injury that visibly bothered him Boston’s Game 6 loss, even though he didn’t appear on the preliminary Game 7 injury report.
Expect talking heads to scrutinize Tatum’s lack of availability in a potential elimination game, (one that should have never even occurred), but it is understandable for him to exercise caution after spending 10 months rehabbing the injury he suffered in Game 5 against the Knicks last May. He worked his ass off to get back to the court in enough time to play his way back into game shape ahead of the playoffs. Without knowing the medical details, I just can’t rip a guy for not wanting to push things if it meant he could suffer another injury that would require surgery. Yes, that even stands in a Game 7.
Without him, Boston weathered huge Philadelphia runs and stayed in the fight. Bizarre starting lineup aside, Rookie Hugo Gonzalez provided a spark in the second quarter after they were down 15, and Derrick White finally found his shot again, (sadly for the C’s, far too late in this series). Neemias Queta looked much more like the big man we saw in the regular season, but he still couldn’t stay out of foul trouble and picked up four well before the fourth quarter.
For the bulk of the game, however, the Sixers were able to execute the same blueprint that won them the previous two. Tyrese Maxey was the best player on the floor for most of the series and finished with an astonishing 30 points and 61.1% field goal percentage. Any shot the Sixers missed felt like a godsend. The Celtics were at their best when they started moving the offense into the paint through Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Neemias Queta, but it was short-lived as the team turned back to the longball late in the third quarter. A fourth quarter rally brought them within a point more multiple times, but it was clear they were missing a big piece of their puzzle as the clock ticked down and their desperate shots rattled off the backboard and rim.
A Tatum-led team has only had one first-round exit in the playoffs. He suffered that early departure against the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant-led Brooklyn Nets in 2021, notably, with Jaylen Brown sidelined by a wrist injury. This much is clear and obvious, and honestly frustrating to still have to point out: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown lead the Celtics best when they’re together.
To be clear, it’s not like he hasn’t had other disappointing exits, such as the COVID bubble loss to the Heat in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. But without him available in critical games 7, 6, and 7, the Celtics have lost series to teams they were considered heavy favorites against in three of the last four years. He’s averaged about 24 points across all his possible closeout game performances, including five games with more than 30 points, and one 51-point clinic.
If there was any doubt during the regular season that the Celtics need their superstar to sustain the greatness that decorates half the TD Garden rafters, the proof was in Game 7 Saturday night.
