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Jayson Tatum’s injury decision will be the right choice for the Celtics

Jayson Tatum’s injury decision will be the right choice for the Celtics

You know how Batman has the Bat Signal to project a big light in the sky for when people need him the most? I have my own Bat Signal, except it’s exclusively for Boston Celtics content emergencies. I call it the “why is everyone in my day-to-day life asking me this question?” Signal. We’re working on the name.

Right now, the signal is going crazy with a simple message: will Jayson Tatum return to play for the Celtics this season? Contained in that question are easy follow-ups: should he return? Is he rushing back? Will it be bad for team chemistry? Is there going to be a conflict with Jaylen Brown, who’s been a low-key MVP candidate this year?

When the Signal is shining this bright, you know I have the answers. And the answers are … I don’t care. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. I recuse myself. I pardon you all from the suffering of trying to answer these questions. I release you, because the answers are “unknowable and irrelevant,” two words to live by and also my nickname in college.

So to keep things knowable and relevant, here’s the distillation: Jayson Tatum returning to play this season is simply a non-issue for Celtics fans, for Boston sports media or for anyone else with their emotional or professional wellbeing wrapped up in the Boston basketball industrial complex. Whatever ends up being Tatum and the team’s decision will be the right decision, and there is no reason to worry about this.

There are two basic questions people are trying to answer: will Jayson Tatum come back this season, and should he come back. Both are not rational discussions and thus we should not have them. Here’s why.

First, I am not some kind of debate detractor. Generally, I think it’s fine to discuss anything in potent or polemical public pieces in parallel publications, such as whether the New England Patriots were frauds, if Olympic Curling is the best competitive entertainment product since Season 1 of Survivor or the necessity of aggressive alliteration with the letter P in the fifth paragraph of an article about Jayson Tatum. All of that is fair game, because the parameters of those discussions are reasonably equal.

The problem with the “will Jayson Tatum come back?” question is that any rational argument about that would require a baseline of medical information that we simply do not have. Reading tea leaves about the five-part docuseries about his road to recovery or that the NBA flexed a March 1 game to primetime on NBC suggests a fairly commercial motivation for returning to play, something I do not believe Tatum or the Celtics would ever risk.

Even more insane is trying to determine if he is rushing back from his injury or is putting himself at additional risk by not sitting out the whole season—as if any of us have literally any idea what we’re talking about in the field of a specific individual’s recovery from Achilles surgery. If you want to speculate on that, I have a quick questionnaire for you to fill out: 1. Are you an Achilles surgeon/specialist or do you have intimate access to one? 2. If yes, is said specialist Jayson Tatum’s doctor themselves? 3. If yes, you may now speculate.

Basically, it doesn’t matter if Tatum is rushing back from his injury; if he comes back, I am forced to assume it was the right decision because there is no planet where I could possibly dispute it. It’s a hard thing to do for someone who thinks they have a right to comment on everything that happens with this team, but I am hereby recusing myself entirely.

We move now to the basketball consequences of Tatum’s return, namely the glorious question of “should he return, even if healthy?” The Celtics are playing great, Jaylen Brown has been a revelation and it would be risky to disrupt such great chemistry, right? Maybe just see how this thing goes and bring Tatum back for next season, right? Right? RIGHT!?

If you are worried about that, I have yet another question for you: are you kidding me?

The Celtics not bringing back Jayson Tatum because they are worried he will make the team worse is like not cashing your monthly paycheck because you’re worried it will make your wallet a little heavier in your left pocket. It’s like not listening to the new Kendrick album because you’re worried you’ll like some songs and it will disrupt your carefully curated Spotify playlists by adding them. It’s like—are we being serious about asking if adding 27-year-old, four-time All-NBA First Team Jayson Tatum to the basketball team is going to make the team worse at basketball?!?

Basketball teams are not porcelain figurines that may break at the first stiff breeze they encounter. They are built through blood, sweat and work over months; they need every single piece they can get. If that piece is Tatum, it would be an excellent one to add. There is nothing more to litigate.

The reason people still want to litigate it is, probably, because there is real money riding on the Celtics in the form of win-total or Championship futures, Jaylen Brown MVP odds and an untold number of gambling stakes in whether Jayson Tatum returns or not. But even gambling discussions must base themselves on logical parameters, and as we have functionally proven, such parameters do not exist in this dojo.

If Tatum returns, it will be good for the Celtics. If something goes wrong afterward, it will be bad for the Celtics, but we have no reason to predict that given the presently available information. Hypothetical future narratives about re-injury or Tatum-Brown beef are pure speculation, something that also does not exist in this dojo. This dojo is rational, and thus, for now, closed.

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#Jayson #Tatums #injury #decision #choice #Celtics

Deadspin | Cole Young’s big hit helps Mariners rally past Twins  Apr 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) turns a double play on a ball hit by Minnesota Twins left fielder Trevor Larnach (9) during the third inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images   Cole Young hit a two-run single in the ninth inning for the Seattle Mariners, who rallied for a 5-3 victory Wednesday over the Minnesota Twins and took two of three in the series at Minneapolis.  The game-winning hit capped a 2-for-4, three RBI game for the Mariners second baseman. He has upped his batting average by 53 points (.233 to .286) by going 11-for-22 since last Friday.  Seattle had just seven hits in the game but also took advantage of five walks while winning for the sixth time in seven games.  Randy Arozarena started the ninth with a four-pitch walk from Eric Orze (0-1).  An out later, Dominic Canzone singled to put runners on the corners. Leo Rivas pinch-ran for the designated hitter and stole second during Young’s at-bat.  With the infield in, Young’s grounder got under a diving Luke Keaschall and rolled into the outfield to make it 4-3. Cal Raleigh’s deep sacrifice fly to center added an insurance run.  Before Young’s heroics, it looked like Twins catcher Victor Caratini would play that role, as his pinch-hit single in the bottom of the eighth off Gabe Speier gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead.  Instead, Minnesota lost for the seventh time in its last eight games.   Cole Criswell (1-0) pitched just a third of an inning, but it was enough for the victory. He got Bryan Buxton to fly out with the bases loaded to end the Twins’ eighth.  Andres Munoz struck out two in the ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.  J.P. Crawford hit his second home run of the season for the Mariners as part of a 2-for-3 game with two walks. Canzone went 2-for-4.  Minnesota racked up 12 hits. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a run scored. He also started the eighth with a single that would lead to the Twins taking the lead. Brooks Lee also went 2-for- 4, with his two-run single in the fourth giving the Twins a 2-1 lead.  Trevor Larnach and Kody Clemens went 2-for-3.  Taj Bradley threw seven sharp innings for the Twins, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Seattle starter George Kirby went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Cole #Youngs #big #hit #helps #Mariners #rally #TwinsApr 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) turns a double play on a ball hit by Minnesota Twins left fielder Trevor Larnach (9) during the third inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Cole Young hit a two-run single in the ninth inning for the Seattle Mariners, who rallied for a 5-3 victory Wednesday over the Minnesota Twins and took two of three in the series at Minneapolis.

The game-winning hit capped a 2-for-4, three RBI game for the Mariners second baseman. He has upped his batting average by 53 points (.233 to .286) by going 11-for-22 since last Friday.

Seattle had just seven hits in the game but also took advantage of five walks while winning for the sixth time in seven games.

Randy Arozarena started the ninth with a four-pitch walk from Eric Orze (0-1).

An out later, Dominic Canzone singled to put runners on the corners. Leo Rivas pinch-ran for the designated hitter and stole second during Young’s at-bat.

With the infield in, Young’s grounder got under a diving Luke Keaschall and rolled into the outfield to make it 4-3. Cal Raleigh’s deep sacrifice fly to center added an insurance run.

Before Young’s heroics, it looked like Twins catcher Victor Caratini would play that role, as his pinch-hit single in the bottom of the eighth off Gabe Speier gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead.


Instead, Minnesota lost for the seventh time in its last eight games.

Cole Criswell (1-0) pitched just a third of an inning, but it was enough for the victory. He got Bryan Buxton to fly out with the bases loaded to end the Twins’ eighth.

Andres Munoz struck out two in the ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.

J.P. Crawford hit his second home run of the season for the Mariners as part of a 2-for-3 game with two walks. Canzone went 2-for-4.

Minnesota racked up 12 hits. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a run scored. He also started the eighth with a single that would lead to the Twins taking the lead. Brooks Lee also went 2-for- 4, with his two-run single in the fourth giving the Twins a 2-1 lead.

Trevor Larnach and Kody Clemens went 2-for-3.

Taj Bradley threw seven sharp innings for the Twins, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Seattle starter George Kirby went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Cole #Youngs #big #hit #helps #Mariners #rally #Twins">Deadspin | Cole Young’s big hit helps Mariners rally past Twins  Apr 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) turns a double play on a ball hit by Minnesota Twins left fielder Trevor Larnach (9) during the third inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images   Cole Young hit a two-run single in the ninth inning for the Seattle Mariners, who rallied for a 5-3 victory Wednesday over the Minnesota Twins and took two of three in the series at Minneapolis.  The game-winning hit capped a 2-for-4, three RBI game for the Mariners second baseman. He has upped his batting average by 53 points (.233 to .286) by going 11-for-22 since last Friday.  Seattle had just seven hits in the game but also took advantage of five walks while winning for the sixth time in seven games.  Randy Arozarena started the ninth with a four-pitch walk from Eric Orze (0-1).  An out later, Dominic Canzone singled to put runners on the corners. Leo Rivas pinch-ran for the designated hitter and stole second during Young’s at-bat.  With the infield in, Young’s grounder got under a diving Luke Keaschall and rolled into the outfield to make it 4-3. Cal Raleigh’s deep sacrifice fly to center added an insurance run.  Before Young’s heroics, it looked like Twins catcher Victor Caratini would play that role, as his pinch-hit single in the bottom of the eighth off Gabe Speier gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead.  Instead, Minnesota lost for the seventh time in its last eight games.   Cole Criswell (1-0) pitched just a third of an inning, but it was enough for the victory. He got Bryan Buxton to fly out with the bases loaded to end the Twins’ eighth.  Andres Munoz struck out two in the ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.  J.P. Crawford hit his second home run of the season for the Mariners as part of a 2-for-3 game with two walks. Canzone went 2-for-4.  Minnesota racked up 12 hits. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a run scored. He also started the eighth with a single that would lead to the Twins taking the lead. Brooks Lee also went 2-for- 4, with his two-run single in the fourth giving the Twins a 2-1 lead.  Trevor Larnach and Kody Clemens went 2-for-3.  Taj Bradley threw seven sharp innings for the Twins, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Seattle starter George Kirby went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Cole #Youngs #big #hit #helps #Mariners #rally #Twins

Deadspin | Knicks’ physicality has helped them of brink of advancing past Hawks  Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images   Jalen Brunson can continue to build on his reputation as a big-time player if he finds a way to carry the New York Knicks into the second round of the playoffs.  Led by Brunson, the Knicks hold a 3-2 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in their best-of-seven, first-round Eastern Conference series and will try to clinch the series on Thursday in Atlanta.  Brunson scored 39 points with eight assists and a game-high plus-23 rating in Tuesday’s 126-97 romp over the Hawks in New York. The veteran is averaging 28.2 points and 5.8 assists in five playoff games. He’s scored 26-plus points in four of the five contests and continues to provide matchup problems for Atlanta.  “We’ll keep putting different guys on him, changing matchups, trying to do anything we can to make it hard on him,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “I have tremendous respect for him as a player and a leader, and his ability to create for himself and then create for his teammates. It’s not easy.”  Little has worked.  “We’re just trying to move him around as much as we can so they can’t catch a rhythm with him,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.  It all worked for the Knicks on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and OG Anunoby added 17 points and 10 rebounds.  “OG and KAT were monsters,” Brown said. “They were phenomenal.”  The Knicks know, though, how elusive that fourth win in a playoff series can be.   “We just understand what the situation is. The toughest game to win is the one that ends someone’s season,” Towns said. “We’ve got to be super disciplined. We have to execute at the highest level that we have in this series. We have to be ready for a really tough game.”  The Knicks produced a tough-guy effort on Tuesday. They were able to make the game more physical, the style New York prefers against the more finesse game Atlanta desires.  “We’ve just got to play through it. We can’t let their physicality take us out of what we want to do,” Atlanta center Onyeka Okongwu said. ” … We’re not really playing like ourselves. We’re not running. We’re not moving the ball. We’re not spacing. The things that we did to get us to this point of the year, we’re not doing well enough. So we have to do that on Thursday.”  Atlanta failed to have a player reach 20 points in Game 5, with Jalen Johnson scoring 18 and Dyson Daniels adding 17. CJ McCollum, the hero of Atlanta’s Game 2 win in New York, was 3-of-10 shooting with six points.   The Hawks flew the white flag of surrender when they cleared the bench trailing by 24 with 4:09 remaining.  The physicality has really seemed to bother Johnson. He is averaging 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the playoffs, compared to 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists during the regular season.  “They did what they were supposed to do, protecting home court,” Snyder said. “Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them. We have to be more committed to imposing our will on the offensive end. Really moving and passing, you can feel possessions where that occurs, and that’s when we’re efficient or have success.”  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Knicks #physicality #helped #brink #advancing #HawksApr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson can continue to build on his reputation as a big-time player if he finds a way to carry the New York Knicks into the second round of the playoffs.

Led by Brunson, the Knicks hold a 3-2 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in their best-of-seven, first-round Eastern Conference series and will try to clinch the series on Thursday in Atlanta.

Brunson scored 39 points with eight assists and a game-high plus-23 rating in Tuesday’s 126-97 romp over the Hawks in New York. The veteran is averaging 28.2 points and 5.8 assists in five playoff games. He’s scored 26-plus points in four of the five contests and continues to provide matchup problems for Atlanta.

“We’ll keep putting different guys on him, changing matchups, trying to do anything we can to make it hard on him,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “I have tremendous respect for him as a player and a leader, and his ability to create for himself and then create for his teammates. It’s not easy.”

Little has worked.

“We’re just trying to move him around as much as we can so they can’t catch a rhythm with him,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

It all worked for the Knicks on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and OG Anunoby added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“OG and KAT were monsters,” Brown said. “They were phenomenal.”


The Knicks know, though, how elusive that fourth win in a playoff series can be.

“We just understand what the situation is. The toughest game to win is the one that ends someone’s season,” Towns said. “We’ve got to be super disciplined. We have to execute at the highest level that we have in this series. We have to be ready for a really tough game.”

The Knicks produced a tough-guy effort on Tuesday. They were able to make the game more physical, the style New York prefers against the more finesse game Atlanta desires.

“We’ve just got to play through it. We can’t let their physicality take us out of what we want to do,” Atlanta center Onyeka Okongwu said. ” … We’re not really playing like ourselves. We’re not running. We’re not moving the ball. We’re not spacing. The things that we did to get us to this point of the year, we’re not doing well enough. So we have to do that on Thursday.”

Atlanta failed to have a player reach 20 points in Game 5, with Jalen Johnson scoring 18 and Dyson Daniels adding 17. CJ McCollum, the hero of Atlanta’s Game 2 win in New York, was 3-of-10 shooting with six points.

The Hawks flew the white flag of surrender when they cleared the bench trailing by 24 with 4:09 remaining.

The physicality has really seemed to bother Johnson. He is averaging 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the playoffs, compared to 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists during the regular season.

“They did what they were supposed to do, protecting home court,” Snyder said. “Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them. We have to be more committed to imposing our will on the offensive end. Really moving and passing, you can feel possessions where that occurs, and that’s when we’re efficient or have success.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Knicks #physicality #helped #brink #advancing #Hawks">Deadspin | Knicks’ physicality has helped them of brink of advancing past Hawks  Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images   Jalen Brunson can continue to build on his reputation as a big-time player if he finds a way to carry the New York Knicks into the second round of the playoffs.  Led by Brunson, the Knicks hold a 3-2 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in their best-of-seven, first-round Eastern Conference series and will try to clinch the series on Thursday in Atlanta.  Brunson scored 39 points with eight assists and a game-high plus-23 rating in Tuesday’s 126-97 romp over the Hawks in New York. The veteran is averaging 28.2 points and 5.8 assists in five playoff games. He’s scored 26-plus points in four of the five contests and continues to provide matchup problems for Atlanta.  “We’ll keep putting different guys on him, changing matchups, trying to do anything we can to make it hard on him,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “I have tremendous respect for him as a player and a leader, and his ability to create for himself and then create for his teammates. It’s not easy.”  Little has worked.  “We’re just trying to move him around as much as we can so they can’t catch a rhythm with him,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.  It all worked for the Knicks on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and OG Anunoby added 17 points and 10 rebounds.  “OG and KAT were monsters,” Brown said. “They were phenomenal.”  The Knicks know, though, how elusive that fourth win in a playoff series can be.   “We just understand what the situation is. The toughest game to win is the one that ends someone’s season,” Towns said. “We’ve got to be super disciplined. We have to execute at the highest level that we have in this series. We have to be ready for a really tough game.”  The Knicks produced a tough-guy effort on Tuesday. They were able to make the game more physical, the style New York prefers against the more finesse game Atlanta desires.  “We’ve just got to play through it. We can’t let their physicality take us out of what we want to do,” Atlanta center Onyeka Okongwu said. ” … We’re not really playing like ourselves. We’re not running. We’re not moving the ball. We’re not spacing. The things that we did to get us to this point of the year, we’re not doing well enough. So we have to do that on Thursday.”  Atlanta failed to have a player reach 20 points in Game 5, with Jalen Johnson scoring 18 and Dyson Daniels adding 17. CJ McCollum, the hero of Atlanta’s Game 2 win in New York, was 3-of-10 shooting with six points.   The Hawks flew the white flag of surrender when they cleared the bench trailing by 24 with 4:09 remaining.  The physicality has really seemed to bother Johnson. He is averaging 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the playoffs, compared to 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists during the regular season.  “They did what they were supposed to do, protecting home court,” Snyder said. “Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them. We have to be more committed to imposing our will on the offensive end. Really moving and passing, you can feel possessions where that occurs, and that’s when we’re efficient or have success.”  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Knicks #physicality #helped #brink #advancing #Hawks

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