BOSTON — In a seismic development, Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was ruled out of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Philadelphia 76ers with left knee stiffness.
The designation comes just under two hours before tipoff of the conclusion of the latest installment of one of the league’s oldest rivalries.
“He just came in today with knee discomfort,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said during his pregame media availability a few minutes after Tatum was ruled out. “And we decided, the medical staff and myself, that he would not play.”
Mazzulla, who added Tatum had discomfort behind his knee and that he was day-to-day, declined to say who would be starting in Tatum’s place.
Tatum had originally been listed as questionable with left knee stiffness six hours before tipoff, and after the Celtics had said for two days he didn’t have any issues coming out of a loss in Game 6.
It was Tatum’s right leg that he suffered the torn Achilles in last May — with the one-year anniversary coming up on Wednesday of this week — and that he returned from back in March, only to quickly begin to resemble the player that has consistently been among the league’s best for the past several seasons.
But it was his left that appeared to be an issue when he left Boston’s 106-93 loss to Philadelphia in Game 6 Thursday night with 4:03 to go in the third quarter and never returned to the game. He went back to the locker room for awhile, before coming back to the bench early in the fourth quarter.
At that point, Boston declared Tatum was available to return to the game. However, around the same time Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla — with Boston trailing 88-65 with 10:24 remaining in the fourth quarter — chose to wave the white flag and put in his deep reserves for the rest of the game.
After the game, both Mazzulla and Tatum were asked about his health and both downplayed that there was any issue.
Boston, which led this series 3-1 before Philadelphia won Game 5 on Tuesday and Game 6 in Philly on Thursday, has gone 32-0 in its history when leading 3-1 in a best-of-seven series. The 76ers, on the other hand, are 0-18 when facing that scenario — the worst mark in NBA history.
