The Celtics emerged victorious on Wednesday night, playing in their first playoff game without Jayson Tatum in nine years. The Celtics All-Star had suited up for 114 consecutive playoff games dating back to his rookie season in 2017 before being sidelined for Game 2 against the Magic with a bone bruise in his right wrist.
Tatum did not go through warmups before the game on the court but emerged on Boston’s bench to watch his teammates early in the first quarter with a wrap on his right wrist. The fact that there was no warmup was a telltale sign that Tatum’s absence was the expected result long before he was officially ruled out 45 minutes before tipoff.
A source told MassLive that Tatum’s absence is a pain tolerance and mobility issue after he suffered a hard fall following a flagrant foul from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the fourth quarter of Boston’s Game 1 win. His availability for Game 3 remains a question mark with the reality that this is a type of injury that will likely take several weeks to fully heal. How much it improves in the coming days will ultimately decide whether Tatum is cleared to give it a go.
For now, the Celtics could afford to be cautious with the All-Star with a comfortable 2-0 lead heading into Orlando. The challenge will get tougher on the road but the fact Jaylen Brown is looking much like himself a few weeks removed from a bone bruise could tempt Boston to let him heal up until the team actually loses a game.
The other side of that equation is risking a longer series with Orlando if they elect to be cautious with Tatum. The Celtics had the best road record in the NBA this year but manufacturing offense could be a challenge against a tough Orlando defense at Amway Arena without Tatum in the fold.
A crucial part of the Celtics’ run to the championship last year was taking care of business quickly with short series. Saving wear and tear will be a crucial ingredient yet again this year amid a tougher road to repeating and this injury complicates that path potentially.
For one night in Game 2, Brown was able to handle the added onus in Tatum’s absence with a game-high 37 points.
“Obviously JT is the offensive leader of our team,” Brown said. “We all kind of play off of him, but any given night I could rise to the occasion. I just do what the team needs me to do. I’ve taken that mentality, and I think sometimes people think that’s the only thing that you can do. So tonight I got lucky, I guess, but we’ll be ready for the next one.”
Whether Brown can sustain that type of effort with just one day of rest before Game 3 may ultimately help decide whether we see Tatum in this series. Boston and Orlando will face off in Game 3 on Friday night at 7 p.m.
