Jayson Tatum calls return to Madison Square Garden 'a big moment' for him

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Though some players might have downplayed their emotions in a similar situation, Tatum acknowledged his vulnerability leading up to his return to the Knicks’ home court. He wasn’t excited about stepping back into the building where he tore his Achilles. Playing in the arena again left him grappling with feelings he wouldn’t normally experience before a game. “Nervousness,” Tatum said. “Anxiousness. All the things you would probably expect (considering what happened) the last time I played here.” Despite the Celtics’ 112-106 loss to New York, Tatum ended the night with a smile on his face. Before his usual postgame shower, he sat in front of his locker with his 8-year-old son, Deuce, lying by his side. If Tatum could still feel the memories inside the building, he was at least making a new one. He didn’t beat the Knicks on Thursday, but he scored a win against some of the ghosts in Madison Square Garden, the ones that reminded him constantly of that painful night in May. “Huge,” Tatum said of the experience. “Today was important to me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today. I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better. Even (with) the loss.” Before his injury, Tatum must have felt invincible. He had never suffered a serious physical setback. He and the Celtics were the defending champions. He had spent his whole life as a prized recruit, a top prospect, a superstar, forever ascending toward his next accomplishment. Then, in one moment, he realized how quickly it could all collapse. The injury rattled him. It forced him to experience doubts unlike any he had dealt with before. For a while, it stripped him of the ability to walk. It forced him to rebuild his body. Based on how he has played since returning in early March, he has done that better than anyone could have reasonably expected. He is past the darkness now. Still, Tatum had to remember the darkness Thursday. His Achilles gave out on that court. His family and friends cried for him in that locker room. His athletic mortality introduced itself to him in New York 11 months ago. Shortly before tipoff, Tatum stood on the same spot of the floor where he had suffered the injury. He noticed where he was, like he did the rest of the day. “Yeah,” Tatum said, “One hundred percent. (At) shootaround this morning. During my pregame shooting. When I first ran on the floor. It’s still with me.” The injury will always be with Tatum. It is part of his journey now. If he continues to defy expectations, as he has done since returning March 6, his recovery could become one of his great accomplishments. “It’s amazing that he’s back playing at this level going into the playoffs in this short amount of time,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “But that’s just his drive and determination and competitive spirit all showing its face at the right time for the Celtics. And so I’m happy for him. And I hope they lose every game, but I’m happy for him individually because I know the work is hard. And to see him back out on the court doing what he loves, it should bring joy to everybody. Not just him, but everybody.” Tatum will have the rest of his career to finish writing the story of his recovery. He primarily wanted to stay in one piece Thursday. He told himself to breathe. He assured himself it would be OK. “It was a lot,” Tatum said, “especially in the beginning. So it took me a while to kind of calm down.” Tatum, who finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, came out firing anyway. Two minutes into the game, he scored the Celtics’ first basket on a fast break after stripping Josh Hart. Moments later, Tatum converted an and-1. He collected six points and six rebounds before checking out for the first time midway through the first quarter. Even before then, Tatum could sense the respect from the New York crowd. During starting lineups, he heard cheers from the Knicks fans, a rarity at Madison Square Garden. “Since I’ve returned, the reception that I’ve gotten from players, coaches I’ve never even spoken to, GMs, has been great,” Tatum said. “Even today when they announced my name it was kind of loud in there, and that means a lot, obviously, wearing a Celtics uniform, that just showing their respect, obviously, because it happened in this building. So I did, I appreciated that.” Those close to Tatum could sense the importance of the night. Payton Pritchard said it was a “special moment” for his teammate. Joe Mazzulla called playing in Madison Square Garden again “an opportunity” for Tatum. Mentally, he had a chance to move a step further away from the injury. “I’m definitely checking off a lot of boxes,” Tatum said. “This was one of the last few. Obviously playoffs coming up soon, but this is one of the ones that was at the top.” After falling behind 72-59 early in the third quarter, Boston rallied back. Tatum drained a corner 3-pointer then created an opportunity for Nikola Vucevic to splash in another long triple. After a turnover by Karl-Anthony Towns, Tatum cut the Celtics’ deficit to 72-66 by drawing a shooting foul on Jalen Brunson. Tatum found Pritchard moments later for a transition 3-pointer to pull Boston within 3 points. The Celtics entered the fourth quarter with an 83-81 advantage but couldn’t hold it long enough. Tatum, Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman all made big plays throughout the back-and-forth quarter, but Hart delivered the biggest by sinking a pair of clutch 3-pointers during the final 43 seconds. While the Celtics lost on the scoreboard, Tatum felt like he won in other ways. It was a big moment, big hurdle for me,” he said. “Obviously, I wanted to win and play great. But more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet.” Tatum could need to walk back into Madison Square Garden again soon. If the current standings hold, the Celtics and Knicks would be lined up to meet in the second round of the playoffs. A postseason rematch would surely bring back the memories again, but he knows now that he will be able to handle them. “I’ll always enjoy coming to play here,” Tatum said. “The environment, the atmosphere, we’ve had some really good games (against the Knicks). Obviously, the lowest point of my life was here, but in a weird way, it’s a part of my story. So, good or bad, it will always be a part of me.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Jay King is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Celtics. He previously covered the team for MassLive for five years. He also co-hosts the "Anything Is Poddable" podcast. Follow Jay on Twitter @byjayking