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NBA Shooting Legend Reggie Miller Reveals Jayson Tatum's 'Devastated' Message

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated May 14, 2025 11:00 PM ET

The Boston Celtics sent a powerful message with their dominant 127-102 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. They've now cut New York's series deficit to 3-2 as they get to fight another day.

This was the Celtics' first game without Jayson Tatum after the six-time All-Star suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, and Boston responded by destroying the Knicks in this must-win game.

NBA on TNT provided the broadcast for Wednesday's Game 5 showdown, and Reggie Miller revealed during the contest that he received a text message directly from Tatum.

"I'm devastated by this, and I appreciate all the love and support from everyone," Miller said, reading Tatum's text message. "... This injury will not define me, and I can't wait to be back in Celtic green to show you why."

dslg;ksal; pic.twitter.com/CJ6LyH4SU9
— Kanye East (@KEast23799) May 15, 2025

Tatum won't be able to return this postseason, and he will likely miss a considerable part of the 2025-26 campaign as he recovers from this heartbreaking injury. However, the 27-year-old has made it abundantly clear that he has every intention of returning as strong as ever once he is able to do so.

For now, the Celtics will need to defend their title without their best player available. They've taken a massive step in that direction by winning on Wednesday and keeping their season alive.

They return to action on Friday for Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, which will be an even more daunting task for the shorthanded Celtics. However, they are champions for a reason, and surely, Boston won't be going down without a fight.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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