Celtics star Jayson Tatum was having his best performance of the 2025 NBA Playoffs in Game 4 against the New York Knicks until his brutal Achilles injury ended his season.
Boston lost the game and fell behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Tatum underwent surgery to repair his torn Achilles, and the Celtics bounced back with a dominant win at home in Game 5.
After Boston’s 127-102 win, Fox Sports’ Emmanuel Acho claimed the Celtics match up better against the Knicks without Tatum in the lineup during a recent episode of “The Facility.”
“Not because of talent. Not ’cause of talent,” Acho tried to explain. “Exclusively because of mindset. I believe a team is a reflection of its leader.
Story continues below advertisement
“Jayson Tatum is the leader of the Boston Celtics. They are an incredible team, an incredibly talented team. But they are not as tough a team.”
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, who was teammates with Tatum last summer on Team USA, fired back at the former NFL linebacker turned media personality on X.
“Hot take artist have ruined the sport,” Durant wrote on X. “Football guys, no disrespect but yall boys need to stay In ya lanes, u don’t know what it’s like it between these lines man give it a break. Dudes who quit football early to pursue media talkin mental toughness, cut it out.”
Acho doubled down on his take by responding to Durant not once, but twice on the social media platform.
Story continues below advertisement
“It’s not a hot take to suggest that JB plays a tougher brand of ball than JT,” Acho wrote in his first response. “You’re right, I don’t know what it’s like between the lines, and you don’t know what it’s like to take on Adrian Peterson in the open field. That doesn’t nullify your ability to speak on toughness.”
The second reply took a shot directly at the two-time NBA champion.
“I also believe you object to my take b/c you fundamentally disagree with the reality that a team reflects the demeanor of the best player (which you often are),” Acho wrote. “You’ve historically denied the role of leadership because if you acknowledged it’s factor, you’d have to honor it.”
Acho appeared in 20 games in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles across the 2013 and 2014 seasons before retiring to pursue a media career. He is known for his hot takes, something Durant is apparently bothered by.
Story continues below advertisement
Durant understands the uphill battle Tatum faces during his recovery — he tore his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. Durant missed the 2019-20 season before debuting with the Brooklyn Nets the following December.