Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics captured an impressive home victory last night over the streaking Charlotte Hornets.
Boston’s fourth win a row powered it to victory No. 54 on the season. The team has improved to 8-2 in the last 10 games and is picking up steam at an opportune time.
Next, the Celtics travel to New York to play the rival Knicks in a nationally-televised game with plenty of storylines. None bigger than Tatum’s return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since incurring a devastating torn Achilles tendon last May.
GettyJayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Much has been said about how Tatum would be feeling mentally entering the contest. He’ll surely shoot a glance or two at that spot where he thought just 10 months ago his career may have changed forever.
Tatum, 28, continues to round into full form after a predictable slow start returning from injury a little over a month ago. Last night, he poured in an efficient 23 points as Boston got the job done.
Jayson Tatum’s playing status gets revealed ahead of New York clash
Tomorrow night’s game is one everyone will want to tune into.
Beyond watching Tatum’s body language on the same court where he suffered a major injury less than a year ago, watching Celtics vs. Knicks is often a treat. It is a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals where the Knicks triumphed.
Ever since returning from injury in early March, every game Tatum has played has been under the microscope. Even his playing status is up in the air usually until the morning of gameday. This time, the former All-Star is ready to go well in advance.
After beating the Hornets last night, Tatum had his vision immediately pivoted to Thursday’s game against the Knicks after he was asked by reporters about it. Of course, Tatum gave the politically-correct “it’s just another game” type of answer, but fans know there’s much more to it than that.
Not only does Tatum want to beat the team that sent him home last spring, he wants to make a grand Eastern Conference statement as the playoffs get closer.
“Hopefully I ain’t breaking no rule, but yeah, I plan on playing Thursday,” Tatum said Tuesday after the win over Charlotte, according to the Boston Herald.
Mixed feelings arrive for the C’s star as he gears up for his MSG return
Yes, Tatum is a basketball superstar.
Yes, Tatum is oftentimes otherworldly on the hardwood.
But he is also human. With very human-like emotions
It may be an exciting inner-conference tilt for fans, but the Celtics star admits going back to the place where he experienced a life-turning moment is more haunting than exciting.
“I’m not like, thrilled, to go back and play there,” Tatum conceded. “Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me.”
Entering Thursday’s Eastern Conference showdown in New York, Tatum is averaging 21.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game on 41.9% shooting from the field. Over the last four games, the 28-year-old Boston star has bumped those numbers to 23.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game.
Tatum continues to look more comfortable. It’ll be interesting to see if he can channel that into a steady performance in Madison Square Garden.
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