Celtics
"Now we got to figure out what we got to do to win Game 5."
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla answers questions during a pre-game press conference before game five of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics will look to extend their season on Wednesday night. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
By Conor Ryan
May 14, 2025 | 7:03 PM
2 minutes to read
Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics’ main focus on Wednesday evening is keeping their season alive against the New York Knicks.
But Boston’s head coach acknowledged that both he and the rest of the Celtics have gone through a roller coaster of emotions Jayson Tatum’s season-ending Achilles injury.
“I spoke to him in person, obviously that night. … He’s doing best he can,” Mazzulla said of Tatum, who underwent successful surgery on his Achilles Tuesday after rupturing the tendon Monday night. “If there’s anybody that can handle it, it’s him. Sent a message to the staff and the players today, so he’s doing better.”
Tatum could be sidelined through the entire 2025-26 season. But, the Celtics have little time to dwell on their star player and his long road to recovery — not with Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals standing as a win-or-go-home scenario.
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“There’s two pieces there,” Mazzulla said of balancing concern for Tatum with prepping for Game 5. “There’s the human, empathetic side, which you should be doing that anyway, whether someone’s playing or not.
“And then there’s a tactical side which, over the course of this season, I think we had — maybe he didn’t play in four or five [games], but it’s something throughout this season that we’ve done is not have a full roster and be able to manage and have different identities that we can play with.”
Boston has managed to hold its own this season in games without its top player in Tatum — sporting a 9-2 record in 2024-25 when No. 0 isn’t on the court.
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Still, the Celtics will need a strong showing from the likes of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis if Boston wants to bring this series back to New York on Friday night.
“I think you have to focus on both of those, the empathetic side towards one of your players, as a person, how he’s doing, how that impacts people around us,” Mazzulla said. “Then there’s a tactical side of this is where we’re at, and we’ve done this, and what gives us the best chance to win tonight.
“The people are the most important,” Mazzulla added. “Then the player comes second, and now we got to figure out what we got to do to win Game 5.”
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Conor Ryan
Sports Writer
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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