Tatum suspected of torn Achilles tendon, and the Celtics collapsed

The Celtics and Knicks played four games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the Celtics were able to take a big lead in each game, but the current series is 3-1 Celtics by the Knicks.

The Celtics have relied on three-pointers to quickly take the lead every game, and they have never lost the first half of their four games, but the Knicks have always relied on greater resilience to complete the comeback. Today, the Celtics led by 14 points and were then reversed by the Knicks in the second half.

The Celtics continued their game of the third game, shooting 9-of-14 three-pointers in the first quarter to lead the Knicks by 11 points in the 39th quarter. But in the following game, the Celtics were 9-of-34 from three-point range, shooting just 26.5 percent from three-point range.

The Knicks seem to have known the script of this game for a long time, and when the Celtics were shooting crazy three-pointers, they didn't show even a trace of frustration, they knew that the Green Army's three-point shooting would not last, and at that time, it was their chance.

The Celtics' over-reliance on three-pointers has become a knee-jerk behavior, and they are even deliberately looking for three-point opportunities in the fast-break. When they couldn't make three-pointers, they had no advantage on the inside, and the offense was in trouble, while the Knicks began to fight back.

The three games that the Knicks won were all like this. When the Knicks dragged the game to crunch time, they had Brunson, the league's best key shooter. And today, before Brunson opened, the Knicks were literally all online.

Brunson had 39 points and 12 assists today, 18 points in the third quarter, and another eight points in the final quarter. OG-Anunoby scored 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the final quarter, Bridges scored 10 points in the final quarter, and the Celtics were completely unable to withstand such offensive firepower in the second half of the final quarter.

In addition to being overly reliant on three-pointers, the Celtics are also over-reliant on Tatum. Tatum had one of the best playoff performances of his career today, narrowly missing his career night at Madison Garden.

Before leaving the game with an injury, Tatum was 16-of-28 from the field and 7-of-16 from three-point range, finishing with 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Celtics suffered a physical dilemma in the final quarter, and no one was able to score except Tatum, so Tatum scored 11 points in the final quarter.

Before the final 3 minutes of the final quarter, Brown re-entered the court with 5 fouls, and the Celtics expected Brown to share the offensive pressure of Tatum, and then Brown got rid of the ball for the first time, Anunoby grabbed the ball and scored quickly, and the Celtics completely collapsed. At the same time, the worst part is that Tatum fell to the ground.

Brown's mistake, Anunoby and Tatum grabbed the ball at the same time, Tatum kicked the ground with his back heel and then fell to the ground, during which he and Anunoby did not have any physical contact that could cause him to injure, which was an injury in an uncontested situation.

Tatum clutched his ankle to the Achilles tendon and whirled around on the ground with his teeth in pain. His right foot was no longer able to support him, and he was helped off the field with one foot by the staff. He then left the players' tunnel in a wheelchair, during which Tatum covered his face with his hands, in great pain.

We often say that Tatum is a legendary killer king, and in fact, in today's game, Tatum still has a thick strap wrapped around his wrist. Behind the legendary Killer King, there is no accumulation of small injuries again and again. The fact that he is not in the line of fire with a minor injury is not that Tatum's body is strong, but that his willpower is strong enough and his game temperament is tough enough.

But Tatum is a mortal after all, and no one can afford an injury of this level. The final result will need to be done tomorrow to get the MRI done, but most of the voices are saying that Tatum has a torn Achilles tendon, and now they just hope that the final result is not so bad.

Tatum had played 40 minutes before his injury, averaging 36.4 minutes per game in 72 games in the regular season and more than 40 minutes per game in eight games in the playoffs. On the offensive end, he carried a lot of the ball, and on the defensive end, he took on most of the tasks of switching the interior line, and after such a fierce season, Tatum's body reached its limit at this moment, and the tight rope broke at that moment.

This injury, if it is really unfortunate that it is a torn Achilles tendon, the impact on the Celtics could be earth-shattering. The dismantling of the Celtics is imminent in itself, Boshen's poor form and attendance, huge luxury tax pressure, if he stops the second round + Tatum is seriously injured, the new owner of the Celtics is bound to make a big move.

Eighteen years later, the NBA's curse of not being able to produce back-to-back championships seems to be continuing. If the road to defending the title is destined to be full of thorns and destined to pay a price, then the cost of Tatum's injury is too big for the Celtics to bear.

The gears of fate keep spinning, and the moment Tatum falls, everything in the future may have changed.