Celtics Veteran Upset Over ‘Extra’ Physicality That Injured Jayson Tatum

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday didn’t let on following Boston’s Game 1 win that he was bothered by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s foul, which led to Jayson Tatum getting hurt.

Al Horford didn’t share the same view as Holiday, though.

And Horford voiced his displeasure with Caldwell-Pope’s actions and called out the Orlando Magic guard for going too far with his physical play after Tuesday’s practice at Auerbach Center.

“Yeah, there was something extra,” Horford told reporters, per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “There was a lot. It was the second or third time that — especially (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) — went at him in that way.”

The Celtics seemed to escape an injury scare in the immediate aftermath of the contest with Tatum saying an X-ray on his right wrist came back “clean.” But the Celtics listed Tatum as doubtful for Wednesday’s Game 2 due to a right distal radius bone bruise.

Tatum fell hard on his right wrist in the fourth quarter of Game 1 after Caldwell-Pope grabbed and pulled the Celtics star’s elbow as he went up for a dunk. Tatum laid on the parquet floor for a couple of minutes in pain before getting up and finishing the game.

Caldwell-Pope was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul upon video review and also heard it from Horford following the play.

“I’m not sure what goes into (plays like that),” Horford said. “(The) only thing I would say is that it’s the playoffs, so the game is going to be more physical, it’s going to be more intense. I feel like those plays are probably going to happen more often than not.”

The Magic made sure to unleash their physical brand of defense — they ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating in the regular season — on the Celtics to start the playoff series. It even helped Orlando lead at halftime in Game 1 before Boston surged ahead in the second half.

Perhaps Caldwell-Pope and the Magic tried to send a message with their physicality, but Payton Pritchard said the Celtics won’t be intimidated by it.

“Obviously, they fouled him hard, and then he had a little fall, but it’s not going to stop us from what we’re trying to achieve,” Pritchard told reporters, per Holmes. “It’s not going to knock us off our path.”