Celtics' Jayson Tatum Out for Playoffs After Suffering Brutal Achilles Tear

This represents a massive blow for Boston's hopes of a repeat. Tatum, 27, is the team's best player and on-court leader.

A terrific two-way player who's virtually guaranteed an All-NBA First Team slot this season, the 6-foot-8 former Duke Blue Devil, plus four-time All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown and two-time All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White, had led Boston to two NBA Finals berths across the last three completed seasons, including a title last year.

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Thanks to a 61-win regular season and some impressively efficient, impressively modern play on both sides of the ball, the Celtics appeared primed to compete for their second consecutive title this postseason.

But Boston ran into trouble against the Knicks. After going ice-cold from distance in Games 1 and 2 at home, the Celtics struggled to close out New York, twice dropping 20-point advantages to fall into an 0-2 series hole. Boston appeared to right the ship in Madison Square Garden, notching a dominant 115-93 blowout victory on the Knicks' floor.

Things took a turn for the worse even prior to the Tatum injury in Game 4, however. The Celtics struggled to contain any Knicks, especially All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson. Center Kristaps Porzingis, who's been grappling with a lingering illness this entire series, struggled to finish around the rim. Porzingis and fellow former All-Star big man Al Horford struggled to defend anyone in their minutes together.

Tatum and White had been almost singlehandedly keeping the Celtics close for a while, but New York had already begun to run away with the contest in Game 4, even ahead of Tatum's injury.

White scored 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field (6-of-11 from distance) and 5-of-7 shooting from the field, while notching three rebounds and two assists. Tatum, meanwhile, had logged 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in 40 minutes of action.

Even with Tatum available, it may have been an uphill battle for the team to rally from a 3-1 series deficit against this energized and engaged New York squad. But sans Tatum, it seems like Boston's postseason journey will end in this series, one way or another.

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NBA Announces Big Update in Celtics-Knicks Playoff Series

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