BOSTON — What would Jayson Tatum have said? How would he have explained his turnover with two seconds left in the Boston Celtics’ 91-90 Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks? How would he have reacted after one of the worst postseason outings of his career, which ended with a 1-of-5 fourth quarter during his team’s second straight second-half collapse?
Would Tatum have projected confidence? Would he have sounded defeated? Would he have waved aside his struggles and set a defiant tone for the rest of the second-round series? Nobody knows for sure because a fire alarm went off inside TD Garden before Tatum could deliver his postgame interview Wednesday night. An arena employee rushed into the news conference room to alert the media that everyone needed to evacuate the building. Fire trucks were stationed near an exit on a side street off Causeway as the issue was investigated. By the time writers were allowed back into TD Garden, the Celtics had called off Tatum’s usual media availability.
It didn’t take an obnoxious ringing noise to know that flames were coming for Boston’s season. That, even if the building wasn’t in danger of burning down, the Celtics were inhaling smoke and blistering from the heat of another Knicks comeback. Up 20. At home. In the second half. For the second game in a row. And again the Celtics couldn’t hold onto their lead.
“It’s inexcusable,” said Jaylen Brown. “But we’re going to learn from it. We’re going to respond.”
Read more on Tatum and the Celtics below.
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Jayson Tatum needs to save Celtics from fire after another collapse against Knicks
