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Tim Bontemps
multiple authors
New York– jayson tatum Has achieved a lot in his basketball career. supper star boston celtics The forward has won NBA titles, made multiple All-NBA teams and earned a pair of Olympic gold medals.
But none of it could prepare him for the emotions Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum returned to the scene at what he called “the lowest point of his life” – when he tore his Achilles tendon. new York Knicks During the Eastern Conference Semifinals 11 months ago.
“Absolutely,” Tatum said when asked if he felt relieved after he had 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes in Boston. 112-106 The loss to New York “This was a big moment for me, a big hurdle. I was nervous and anxious to get back here.
“Obviously, I wanted to win and play well, but more importantly, I just wanted to walk on the floor on my own two feet.”
Over the past month, Tatum has checked all kinds of boxes: returning to the court; playing heavy minutes (including 39 and 40 in Boston’s last two games, respectively); And slowly began to look like the player who was named to the All-NBA First Team in each of the last four seasons.
However, one of the final boxes to check was the return of MSG. And Tatum not only did it, but he managed to do it the way he had hoped: healthy and without any problems.
“Jason was Jason,” Celtics forward baylor sheyerman Said. “Very calm, composed and composed out there. Didn’t really notice much difference out there tonight.
“He was exactly the same as he always is.”
Tatum is not playing on both nights of the back-to-back, so will have to decide whether to go against him on Thursday in New York or on Friday in Boston New Orleans Pelicans. He said that he had taken this decision a few days ago.
Ultimately, getting rid of the bad taste of playing there and the emotions that came with it, a win was achieved by waiting until a potential matchup with New York in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in a few weeks.
“It was a lot,” Tatum said. “Especially in the beginning. It took me a while to calm down.”
It wasn’t the cleanest performance — he went 2-10 from 3-point range and had six turnovers — but ultimately none of that will matter much. The Celtics are almost assured of the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs and are likely to face orlando magic, philadelphia 76ers Or charlotte hornets In the first round. That will be followed by a possible rematch with New York.
He admitted there were times during Thursday’s game that he had to tell himself to take a breath and that things would eventually work out. And, he said, he’s glad to walk out of MSG with a mental victory — even in defeat.
“Huge,” he said of the significance of such a win during his return. “Today was an important day for me, especially when I decided to come back and play again today.
“I’m glad I did it. I feel much better.”
Tatum’s return has made Boston the betting favorite to reach the NBA Finals for the third time in five years, which is notable considering his injury and several departures from the Celtics roster via trade and free agency over the past year.
However, all of that was secondary to Tatum getting back on the court on Thursday and completing the game without a loss.
He said he appreciates the sentiments that have been shared with him since his return, such as when Knicks fans – who are not known for being friendly with their neighbors in the Northeast – welcomed him when he was introduced, or when the New York Stars welcomed him. Jalen Brunson During his televised postgame interview he talked about how happy he was to see him back on the court and healthy.
“I mean, since I’ve been back, the welcome I’ve gotten from players, coaches and GMs has never been worse than I’ve ever talked to,” Tatum said. “Even today when they announced my name, there was a huge cheer and obviously wearing the Celtics uniform means a lot, which just shows their respect, obviously, because it happened in this building.
“I appreciated it.”
