Jayson Tatum prepares for return to MSG: ‘Just another game’

BOSTON — Just underneath a yr after tearing his proper Achilles tendon at Madison Square Garden, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum will make his return there Thursday when he and the Celtics tackle the New York Knicks.

A win would formally clinch the second seed within the Eastern Conference playoffs for Boston. But Tatum mentioned he isn’t precisely trying ahead to checking this newest field on what, to date, has been a stellar street to restoration.

“I mean, yeah, I’ve thought about it,” Tatum mentioned after scoring 23 factors in a 113-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. “I’m not like, thrilled, to go back and play there. Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me.

“Obviously, I knew sooner or later I’d have to recover from that hurdle and play there once more. So, it is going to have to be this Thursday. But it isn’t like I’m enthusiastic about it. But it is a part of it. I made a decision to come again and play, so I’m not essentially skipping sure video games. I can not play back-to-backs proper now, however I made a decision to come again and play, so it is simply another recreation on the schedule.”

Boston has gone 13-2 with Tatum on the court since he returned against the Dallas Mavericks a month ago. Although his return hasn’t gone perfectly — although no one expected it to — he has continually improved as his legs have gotten back underneath him.

After shooting under 50% from the floor in each of his first 10 games after returning, Tuesday’s 8-for-15 showing marked the third time in five games he has gone over that mark. And throughout the process, he has contributed in a variety of areas — from rebounding to playmaking to team defense — as he has throughout his career.

And, in doing so, he has helped the Celtics move clear of both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Knicks for the second spot in the East.

“Just ramping up on the proper time,” Tatum said. “Knowing that publish All-Star break is pivotal for groups actually making an attempt to compete for a championship. And you need to be bodily feeling your greatest as a unit, taking part in properly collectively, clicking on all cylinders. And this yr is not any completely different. We’ve been taking part in extraordinarily properly going into the playoffs up to this level and figuring out that we have a couple of video games left to really feel actually good about ourselves after which discover out who we’re going to play.”

Tuesday also marked a season high in minutes for Tatum, who has gradually increased his playing time over the past few weeks as he prepares for what the Celtics hope is a long postseason run.

It’s a run that could easily mean facing off against New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals — the matchup that would be on tap if the seeds remain as they are at the end of Tuesday’s action. That was the series that happened last year, and it was in the fourth quarter of Game 4 that Tatum went down with the Achilles tear.

But he said that although Thursday will bring back some bad memories, it’s not a game that will feel particularly different because of where it’s being played.

“I used to be going to have to play there sooner or later,” he said. “So, I would as properly get it out of the way in which.”