Jayson Tatum and the playoffs. The combination of the two of them is box office basketball. The Celtics fans were hoping to see another round of such action in these playoffs. The All-Star forward had a decent 17-point performance against the Orlando Magic in Game 1. But the biggest news from the night was the wrist injury he suffered after falling awkwardly following a dunk attempt.
He was listed as doubtful for Game 2 and did not play to recover from the injury. Tensions were high among the fans going to the second game. But Jaylen Brown saved the day with his explosive performance, scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It gave the fans a sigh of relief that they still have Brown and the crew to take care of the job with Tatum being away. But everyone was still curious to know about Jayson’s situation, and in the press conference after the game, Celtics head coach was asked if he had any updates. Mazzulla’s reply was a surprise to everyone.
The reporter asked, “About Jason, what did you find out, about any other updates in terms of how he’s doing?” to which Joe Mazzulla simply replied, “Yeah” When the reporter pressed him again, saying, “When did you find out he couldn’t play?”, Joe gave this surprising answer, “I have no idea.”
Joe Mazzulla’s answers about Jayson Tatum’s injury status seem really puzzling. For a coach to have no idea about his player’s availability and whether he was going to play in an important playoff game is quite weird. Was it a last-minute decision by the Celtics after waiting to perform a final check on his wrist injury? Well, teams do that to be extra cautious about such important players in a big game scenario. With fans already eager for updates about their superstar’s health, Joe Mazzulla’s comments have left them waiting a little longer.
Jan 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
In December 2024, during a 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Chicago’s Ayo Dosunmu and the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard ran down a loose ball. Mazzulla was frustrated when official Justin Van Dyne decided that Payton Pritchard and not Jaylen Brown should take the jump ball.
He argued with the ref and got a technical foul in return. After the game, Mazzulla wanted to confront the official and had to be held back by his assistant coaches. When asked about that scenario, Mazzulla said this about what he wanted to say to Van Dyne, “I hadn’t seen him in a while. So, just a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday… can’t let a moment go by where you don’t wish the best to them and theirs,”
So, Joe Mazzulla is known to be evasive about his on-field decisions, reactions and behind-the-scenes details about the locker room. In Jayson Tatum’s case, maybe he was being coy to not reveal any unnecessary details about his health and keep the spotlight on the rest of the team and the remaining games in the series. The Celtics will hope that Tatum’s wrist injury isn’t that serious because he is their most reliable player in the playoffs in terms of availability (this was the first time Tatum missed a playoff game in his career). He has averaged 26.8 points in his last 5 playoff runs, and the Celtics will hope he can continue to be that productive after his return.
With Jayson Tatum out for Game 2, Jaylen Brown didn’t let his absence be felt by the fans. He took the game by the scruff of its neck and carried the team in a physical battle with the Magic. His 36 points and 10 rebounds with an efficient 5-7 shooting from the three-point line reminded everyone why he’s the reigning NBA Finals MVP. And in his press conference after the game, he underlined his warrior mindset going into each game in the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown: Whatever It Takes Every Single Night
Jaylen Brown was asked, “We’ve heard a lot from your teammates about your warrior’s mindset. How would you describe what that is to those of us who just kinda hear that term but don’t necessarily know exactly what that means?” To this, he replied, “It’s just faith, consistency and hard work pays off. Something I’ve lived by since the beginning, you know. I think, my first interview with Boston, I said I was gonna go to war for this city. I think nothing has changed. So, whatever it takes every single night. Leave it out there and hope for the best.”
It IS war when it comes to the playoffs. And Jaylen Brown walked the talk with his dominant display in the Game 2 win over the Magic. It was an intense physical battle all night, and his warrior mindset allowed Brown to run the show from the start. He constantly took advantage of the mismatches against bigger players and matched the Magic’s physicality with explosive runs to the rim. It was such a physical game that in the third quarter, Kristaps Porzingis was bleeding and needed five stitches to his forehead after taking an elbow from the Orlando Magic center, Goga Bitadze.
He returned shortly to the game after heading down to the locker room and went on to have a productive night with 20 points and 10 rebounds. After the game, he said, “We’re not gonna let anybody punk us”, echoing the aggressiveness and strong mindset that the Celtics fans expect from the team. This is why the Celtics are the reigning champions and are on course for a repeat. If Jayson Tatum comes back soon to his productive best and Jaylen Brown keeps playing the Finals MVP he is, then the Celtics will be an insanely fast train to stop for any team in these playoffs.
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