The Boston Celtics responded with resilience and purpose in Game 5, defeating the New York Knicks 127–102 to keep their season alive.
The win came just days after suffering a devastating blow, losing All-Star forward Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles in Game 4.
With their backs against the wall and facing a 3-1 series deficit, the Celtics leaned on leadership, emotion, and unity to deliver a dominant performance at home.
Following the Game 4 loss and Tatum’s season-ending injury, the Celtics held a pivotal team meeting on Tuesday that set the tone for their Game 5 response.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared insight into the emotional spark behind the team’s resurgence during a Wednesday appearance on SportsCenter.
“They had a team meeting on Tuesday,” Windhorst reported. “Before they went over the game plan for Game 5, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford spoke to the team. They talked about how they needed to react. They talked about the importance of sending a message to Jayson.”
The emotional fuel didn’t stop there. According to Windhorst, the team received a message from Tatum himself the following day, after he had undergone surgery to repair his Achilles injury.
“And then on Wednesday, the team got a message from Tatum after he was recovering from his Achilles surgery encouraging them,” Windhorst continued. “Telling them that he would be bouncing back and that he was hoping they would play great without him tonight.”
That encouragement appeared to have an immediate impact, even if the Celtics didn’t start the game smoothly.
“You definitely saw the Celtics play emotionally at times,” Windhorst noted. “It didn’t have the smoothest start to the game. But in talking to their players afterwards, they do think they were able to bounce back quickly after getting that message from Tatum and also hearing from their veteran teammates.”
Jaylen Brown led the way in Tatum’s absence, finishing with an impressive all-around stat line: 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. It was the kind of performance Boston needed from its remaining stars to stave off elimination.
The Celtics now trail the series 3–2 and will head to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 on Friday. A win would force a decisive Game 7 back in Boston on Monday.
While no NBA team has successfully rallied from a 3-1 deficit since the Denver Nuggets did so against the LA Clippers in the 2020 playoffs, the Celtics are refusing to back down – and they’re drawing strength from both their locker room and their fallen leader.
Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, Al Horford Led Crucial Team Meeting Before Game 5; Jayson Tatum Also Sent Encouraging Message To Team https://t.co/PhDfbCvXm4
— RealGM (@RealGM) May 15, 2025
