What Jayson Tatum Told Celtics Before Game 5 Win Over Knicks

Jayson Tatum didn’t suit up Wednesday night at TD Garden, but he still helped the Celtics set the tone for the most important game of their season to date.

Boston couldn’t have entered its Game 5 against New York with any less momentum. Not only did it trail 3-1 in the teams’ second-round NBA playoff series, but it lost its best player to a ruptured Achilles in the contest prior. All things considered, the Celtics’ outlook heading into their latest postseason tilt was beyond bleak.

But Tatum, who underwent surgery to repair his injury Tuesday, did what he could to help make sure the C’s were in the right frame of mind going into the do-or-die matchup.

“I think just expressing, obviously he’s on his path and road to recovery and stuff like that and then just kind of encouraging us to go out and keep doing the job, keep trying to accomplish the goal,” Luke Kornet told reporters about Tatum’s pregame message, per MassLive.

Derrick White added: “Seeing our brother go down was tough. He texted us today before the game like he’s cheering us on, so that was cool to hear. Go out there and compete, and we won the game.”

Boston didn’t just win the game — it blew New York out of the building. Behind a game-high 34 points from White, an unexpected stat-stuffer from Kornet and a brilliant all-around performance from Jaylen Brown, the reigning NBA champions cruised to a 127-102 win. It marked the Knicks’ widest margin in defeat since late February.

The Celtics now have some life back, and they should be given more than a puncher’s chance in Friday night’s Game 6. Tatum won’t be available at Madison Square Garden, but his support certainly will serve as a driving force for a Boston team that has taken on an underdog mentality.