Jayson Tatum had some words for his Celtics teammates before Game 5.
But what exactly did he say?
That we may never know.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla said Wednesday afternoon that Tatum, who is out for the foreseeable future after rupturing his right Achilles at the end of Game 4, sent a message to players and Celtics staffers with the team down 3-1 to the Knicks.
When pressed on what Tatum actually said, Mazzulla seemingly bristled.
“I’m not telling you that,” he told reporters, , in what described as a “terse response.”
Tatum was in the middle of a 42-point effort in Game 4 when he went down with the serious injury that puts his 2025-’26 season in doubt.
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He underwent surgery on Tuesday and shared a photo on his Instagram page on Wednesday that showed him resting in the hospital with his right foot bandaged up as he gave a thumbs up.
“Thankful for all the love and support,” Tatum wrote in the caption with a praying emoji.
Without Tatum, the Celtics are missing their biggest star and producer, who leads the team in just about every offensive category (points, assists and rebounds) in these playoffs.
The onus to carry the offensive load now likely falls on Jaylen Brown, who has been held to 22.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc against the Knicks.
Boston, which has lived and died by the 3-ball this year, needs better numbers than that for its season to continue.
“I mean, that’s all that can be said. Get ready for the next one, get ready to fight, get ready to come out on our own floor and do what we need to do,” .
“That’s the goal. It’s still the goal. We’ve got enough in this locker room, so I believe in my guys.”
