The New York Knicks have the opportunity to do something they haven't done since 2000: advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Up 3-1 on the Boston Celtics, the Knicks will look to deliver the final blow when they face off in Boston on Wednesday night.
The Celtics will be noticeably short-handed, as they will be without their All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum. Tatum went down in the closing minutes of Game 4 with a non-contact injury, later deemed to be a ruptured Achilles.
Jalen Brunson makes blunt statement regarding Jayson Tatum
Despite the injury to Boston's key player, the Knicks are still 4.5-point underdogs ahead of Game 5.
Following the news that Tatum underwent surgery to repair his Achilles tendon, Jalen Brunson delivered a blunt message regarding the superstar.
"I feel for (Tatum), it's an unfortunate situation for a player like him. The league needs Jayson Tatum," Brunson said. "What he's been able to do in his career is incredible ... he still has a long time to make an impact ... you see a player like that go down, it's not good."
The injury to Tatum will likely make New York's pursuit of a berth in the Conference Finals a tad easier, as Tatum really started to turn it on in Game 4.
While some fans of the Knicks would like to see their team accomplish such a feat at home, there are likely several Knicks fans who would like to see their team win tonight and avoid any stress that would involve going back to Madison Square Garden.