Boston and its fans received grim news: an operation was performed on Tatum after he ruptured his Achilles tendon. With the injury occurring late in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the New York Knicks, it lost 121-113, putting Boston down 3-1.
A Thasmite with the insane sort of form and having perhaps the best of his career in the postseason, Tatum went down after putting up 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists with less than 3 minutes left. The noncontact injury rocked the teammates and the crowd.
No timetable for return was given by the Celtics, although six to eight months is a normal prognosis for recovery from a ruptured Achilles. The team also stated that Tatum is expected to make a full recovery and further updates will be given when available.
With Tatum out for the count, the Boston defensive title aspirations have taken a gigantic blow with the prospect of elimination staring them down in Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday night.
