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Tim Bontemps
multiple authors
BOSTON — Just less than a year after tearing his right Achilles tendon at Madison Square Garden, boston celtics star jayson tatum Will be back there on Thursday when he and the Celtics face off new York Knicks.
A win would officially give Boston the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But Tatum said he’s not eager to check this latest box after what, so far, has been a stellar path to recovery.
“I mean, yeah, I’ve thought about it,” Tatum said after scoring 23 points 113-102 victory over charlotte hornets On Tuesday. “I’m not thrilled to go back and play there. The last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me.
“Obviously, I knew at some point I had to get over that hurdle and play there again. So, it has to be this Thursday. But it’s not that I’m thrilled about it. But that’s part of it. I decided to come back and play, so it’s not necessarily that I’m missing a few games. I can’t play back-to-backs right now, but I decided to come back and play, so it’s just another game on the schedule.”
Boston has gone 13-2 on the court since returning against Tatum dallas mavericks A month ago. Although his comeback has not been perfect – although no one expected it to be – he has made steady improvement as he has got his legs back under him.
After shooting less than 50% from the floor in each of his first 10 games since returning, Tuesday’s 8-for-15 performance surpassed that mark for the third time in five games. And throughout the process, he has contributed in a variety of areas — from rebounding to playmaking to team defense — as he has throughout his career.
And, in doing so, he has helped the Celtics move beyond these two cleveland cavaliers and the Knicks for second place in the East.
“Just stepping up at the right time,” Tatum said. “Knowing that that’s important for teams trying to compete for a championship after the All-Star break. And you want to feel our best physically as a unit, playing well together, clicking on all cylinders. And this year is no different. We’ve been playing pretty well up to this point in the playoffs and knowing that we have a few games left to feel really good about ourselves and then find out who we’re going to play.”
Tuesday also marked a season high in minutes for Tatum, who has gradually increased his playing time over the past few weeks as he prepares for the Celtics’ expected long postseason run.
It’s a race that could easily mean a showdown against New York in the Eastern Conference Semifinals — a matchup on tap if the seeds remain as they are at the end of Tuesday’s action. This was the series that happened last year, and it was in the fourth quarter of Game 4 when Tatum went down with an Achilles tear.
But he said that although Thursday will bring back some bad memories, it is not a game that will feel particularly different because of where it is being played.
“I wanted to play there at some point,” he said. “So, I might as well get it out of the way.”
