Jayson Tatum, Celtics decided ‘return to play protocol’ for left knee stiffness meant missing Game 7 vs. 76ers

Jayson Tatum met with the media Sunday following the Boston Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in their NBA first-round playoff series and explained why he wasn’t able to play.

In the early afternoon Saturday, Tatum was initially listed as questionable with left knee stiffness. That status changed approximately two hours before tip-off and Tatum was ruled out for the win-or-go-home showdown in Boston.

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Tatum confirmed he was feeling tightness in the back of his left knee and was technically still in the “return-to-play protocol,” which requires a progression from light activity (such as an exercise bike or jogging) to non-contact activity, then practice with no restrictions on contact over a 48-hour period.

The athletic training staff and Tatum stuck to that plan and that meant being unavailable Saturday, despite the stakes of a Game 7.

If the Celtics had advanced to the second round, Tatum said his status would have been day-to-day and he would have been available to play at some point against the Knicks.

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Tatum added that he felt an injury like this may have been inevitable after returning from his torn Achilles sustained last year. (His knee injury was to the left leg, while the Achilles rupture occurred in his right.)

“I guess a little to be expected,” Tatum said, via CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell. “I was away for 10½ months and then came back, and I was playing every other day. I was playing 36 to 40 minutes. So it’s not unusual that something would come up.”

“It was just kind of tough because rehab was just going so well the entire time,” he added. “I guess it was inevitable at some point that I was gonna have to deal with something, and it just kind of came at the worst possible time.”

Tatum’s availability was in question after he left Thursday’s Game 6 in the third quarter with what was called “left knee stiffness” and did not return. Philadelphia went on to win that game, 106-93, to force a decisive Game 7 at TD Garden.

Following the game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t seem concerned, saying that Tatum “just got stretched, got…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/jayson-tatum-celtics-decided-return-to-play-protocol-for-left-knee-stiffness-meant-missing-game-7-vs-76ers-185506395.html

Author : Ian Casselberry

Publish date : 2026-05-03 18:55:00

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