It's Simple, Either The Celtics Win Tonight Or Their Season And Title Defense Is Over

I'm not going to lie to you, this is one of the weirdest playoff games of the Tatum/Brown Era. Normally, being down 3-1 in the 2nd round would have me very upset. The fear of a title defense season coming to an end before the ECF would haunt me every second until tip off. The fact that the Celts are even in this position is annoying as hell, mostly because it's pretty much all self-inflicted. Hold on to a double digit second half lead for me one time! 

But ever since Jayson Tatum hit the floor and his achilles popped, everything about this series and these playoffs and life in general has been all jacked up. Does anything matter anymore? Does life matter anymore? Where's that killer meteor I keep hearing about that's supposed to pulverize the planet? 

The reality that now exists as a result of this injury, both in terms of what it means for tonight and what it means moving forward, is why the feeling heading into a game in which your season is on the line is so weird. I simply do not know how to feel, which is not something that I think any of us are used to. We've been playing in big playoff games this entire decade. This is certainly not the first time the Celts ever entered a playoff game with their season on the line, but I sure as shit I feel way more numb today than any previous series. 

On one hand, you want to focus on the tasks at hand. The Celts have enough to win a game tonight if they play to their standard and guys step up. This team has been resilient for years now when they're up against it, so you're not crazy if you expect them to punch back and fight to the death tonight. Dropping 3 games in a series does not lose it

Until you lose 4, there's always a chance. It's not like you were down 3-0 where no team in NBA history has come back before. We've seen the Celts in this exact same spot just 2 years ago, down 3-1 heading to Boston against MIA for a Game 5. They won it and kept pushing. Why can't that happen tonight?

Well, I imagine not having Jayson Tatum available for that challenge is significant, but that brings me to my next point.

Do it for Jayson. 

You could tell me the Celts use this devastating injury as fuel, and we get their best game of the season. Everyone thinks they're dead, they don't have their most important player, who literally does everything for them on both ends of the floor, so you know what? Prove them wrong. Execute. Play with force and in a way that would make him proud. 

You could also tell me that this is such a fatal blow, that mentally this team is fucked. I suppose we'll know right away what their mental focus is, and who could blame them if they were just mentally checked out. That's the angle we also can't ignore tonight.

There is a legit possibility that this is the last time we see this group on the parquet floor together. This could be the last time Al Horford ever plays a game as a Celtic. Just thinking about that makes me want to die, but it's the reality. Guys that brought us Banner 18 are most likely not going to be here in 2 months, which is why the feelings heading into tonight are all over the map.

Perhaps it's fitting when you see what jerseys the Celts are wearing tonight

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Is this going to be their own funeral, not just for this series and this season, but for this entire era? For this championship roster that brought us that elusive 18th banner? I cannot believe this is real life right now

This would not be the first time the Celts would come up short of a title, shit, that's happened in 36 of my 38 years on this planet. But tonight isn't just about a game or a series. It's about what this new life will be like for the franchise. That's why, at least for me, this feels WAY different than any other elimination game. It could be the end, but it's also Day 1 of life without Jayson Tatum, something that I'm still having a pretty hard time coming to grips with. 

All I know is this is going to be one of the most emotional nights of this entire era. I may be delusional (I am), I may be coping (I am), but I'm choosing to believe things do not end tonight. Not like this. The Basketball Gods robbed us of 1 year (or more) of Jayson Tatum's prime, they owe us this Game 5 god dammit. 

There's a chance I'm alone here, but fuck it. I'm riding with this group until the wheels fall off. Until I see 0.0 on the clock and the Celtics with fewer points than the Knicks, I will not give up on them. They are Champions. Win tonight, and who the hell knows what can happen.

Do it for Jayson. Do it for Al. Do it for the collective mental health of this entire fanbase. 

I cannot believe we're here, but you can't change the past. All you can do is go balls to the wall and fight like hell to keep your season alive. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to mindlessly staring at my ceiling while I try to even process what the fuck has happened over the last week