The future of the Boston Celtics may have been altered by what unfolded on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Seeing a 14-point third-quarter lead slip away in a 121-113 loss to the New York Knicks was one thing. Seeing Jayson Tatum suffer what, as far as the optics, has the look of a very concerning injury, is a much more important matter.
With so much to process, the north star is the crystal clear understanding that the most significant element of this is the human one.
"The loss is the loss. More importantly, it's Jayson I'm worried about," voiced Al Horford from the Celtics' locker room after Game 4.
"I think everybody is more concerned with that," said Jaylen Brown on seeing the other half of Boston's star tandem writhing in paint on the Madison Square Garden floor before being helped off the court and into a wheelchair.
"Tonight is tough," Brown conveyed from the podium during a media availability that required summoning a commendable strength to express what was going through his mind. "I think everybody's at a loss for words."
"I love him," stated Derrick White. "That's our brother, and you hate to see him go down, and we just know the type of guy he is."
Joe Mazzulla shared post-game that Tatum was at the hospital and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
"He's the type of guy to get right up, and he didn't," said Mazzulla. "It's tough to watch."
Difficult as it may be, the Celtics must try to turn the page to Game 5
The unrelenting nature of an NBA playoff schedule means Boston must now prepare for Game 5 on Wednesday night at TD Garden. It will arrive regardless of whether the hosts are in the proper frame of mind to play.
What happened to Tatum, the results of his MRI, and what's next for him will remain the priority. But the Celtics will do their best to fight for their season.
"They'll be ready, and that's just who they are," Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini when asked about getting his team, a prideful and accomplished veteran group, ready to rally for Game 5. "It's been that way. It's the locker room they have, and they'll be ready. So, you trust the character of the guys in moments like this, and you take it one game at a time."
Shortly after that, Brown showcased why the Celtics can at least feel good about the character of who they'll lean on to guide them through the next 48 hours and a game unlike any other they've experienced.
"We've got enough in this locker room. I believe in my guys," stated the four-time All-Star. "We pick our heads back up tomorrow and go from there."
When asked how he processes Tatum's injury, the potential implications of it for the franchise, and having to get ready for Wednesday with their season on the line, and whether he allows those thoughts to flow freely before trying to turn the page to Game 5, Brown conveyed the following to Hardwood Houdini.
"I guess you just take it as it comes. You get whatever information is needed. And tomorrow, we'll know more, we'll find out more. And then, we've still got basketball to play on our home floor, so we come out and play Celtic basketball."