Jayson Tatum met up with his Celtics teammates in New York ahead of Game 6 vs. Knicks
When the Boston Celtics arrived at their team hotel in New York Thursday, there was a friendly face waiting to greet them. Jayson Tatum, fresh off his surgery for a ruptured Achilles, met up with his teammates as they arrived in the Big Apple ahead of Friday night's must-win Game 6 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum underwent surgery in New York on Tuesday after he ruptured his Achilles in Boston's Game 4 loss at MSG on Monday night. He remained in New York after the surgery, which gave him the opportunity to see his Celtics teammates when they arrived for Friday night's tilt.
"It was really good seeing him," Payton Pritchard told reporters Friday, . "Obviously, he's out of surgery. It seemed like he was in really good spirits and stuff. Obviously, he's probably about to be stir crazy for a little while now. But it's just good when you see your brother, your teammate go through a situation like that. Just want to be there to comfort and anything he needs."
Pritchard said basketball did not come up when chatting with Tatum.
"That stuff is bigger in basketball now." Pritchard said, . "It's just seeing how he is in person, how he's feeling and stuff. The basketball side, we'll handle that. But just wanted to check in as a friend."
Back in Boston, Celtics fans were asked to send messages of encouragement to Tatum as they entered TD Garden ahead of Wednesday night's Game 5 win over the Knicks.
There is no timetable for Tatum's return, but the Celtics expect the 27-year-old to make a full recovery from the injury.
Celtics-Knicks Game 6
The Celtics were able to come together without Tatum on Wednesday night and are back in New York after blowing out the Knicks, 127-102, in Game 5. Boston is still down in the series 3-2, and is looking to stave off elimination Friday and force a winner-takes-all Game 7 back in Boston on Monday.
Tatum delivered a message to his teammates ahead of Game 5, so we'll see if getting to see him in person on Thursday will inspire them again Friday night. The Celtics are actually 2-0 this postseason without Tatum, after he also missed Game 2 of the first round against the Orlando Magic with a wrist injury. It was the first playoff game Tatum missed in his career.
Overall, Boston is 10-2 without its superstar player this season. But the Celtics will be facing a desperate Knicks squad on Friday, as New York looks to close out the series and advance to its first Eastern Conference Finals since the 1999-2000 season.
