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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

PHOENIX — With under four minutes left to go in the 2026 NCAA women’s national championship game, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice were subbed out of the game, headed to their bench and hugged their head coach Cori Close. Seconds later, senior Gabriela Jaquez hits a 3-point shot to give the Bruins a 79-45 lead. Jaquez then heads to the bench to be subbed out, waves her hands in the air to pump up the UCLA crowd and braces for a hug with Close. The UCLA student section was yelling “MVP, MVP.” In a matchup where heading into the game, they were considered the underdogs, facing a South Carolina team making its fifth national championship appearance since 2017, the Bruins looked like everything but that on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona.

UCLA made history on Sunday afternoon at Mortgage Matchup Center, winning its first national championship in program history for the NCAA Tournament era. The Bruins won an AIAW national championship back in 1978, lead by notable women’s basketball legend Ann Meyers Drysdale.

From the first whistle, UCLA looked like a focused team on a mission. The Bruins were quick with pace, aggressive on defense and making shots. The Gamecocks on the other hand had a horrible night shooting. At halftime, South Carolina shot 26 percent from the field and 1-for-8 from the 3-point line. The Gamecocks finished the game going 18-for-62 from the field and 2-for-15 from the arc.

“UCLA had a lot to do with it,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said about her team’s shooting woes. “I didn’t think we had to play perfect basketball, but we had to play better basketball. We had to make shots, create offense for our defense. We had to be better defensively, actually pushing them off their spots. I think they got to where they needed to go. We didn’t apply enough pressure for us to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball. Because you can have a good defensive possession, but give up an offensive rebound, that’s just really deflating.”

Despite glimpses of full-court press and switching to zone defense, South Carolina never found a spark and the shots never fell. The Gamecocks were also out-rebounded 49-37 and had 12 less points in the paint compared to UCLA’s 40. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, UCLA was up by 20 points, and heading into the fourth quarter the Bruins led 61-32.

“UCLA is a quality team with very experienced players who got a taste of being in the Final Four last year. You make adjustments. You use that experience as a learning lesson and you come back sharper and you increase your chances of winning. From last year to this year, they played determined last year, but they played more determined this year. They were so close. They’ve had the experience to do that. They took advantage of it,” Staley said.

The Bruins finished the season with a 37-1 overall record, which marks the most wins in a single season for the program. They also finished the season on a 31-game win streak, marking the longest in program history.

“The confidence we came out with, we knew we were going to win. When we play together, no one can stop us,” Betts said. “No one cares about stats when you have a ring around your finger.”

Last season, Close’s squad lost in the Final Four to eventual national champions UConn, 85-51. Heading into the Final Four games, head coach Close said on Thursday that she didn’t celebrate enough last season and all their accomplishments, but she can today.

All five of the Bruins starters scored in double digits figures, and were lead by Jaquez who finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Angela Dugalic came off the bench contributing with nine points, five rebounds and four assists.. Betts won Most Outstanding Player of the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament.

“We said all year our selflessness and work ethic would fuel us all season,” Close said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game.

UCLA will lose some key pieces from this championship team, with at least four players predicted to be WNBA draft picks. But for now they celebrate, at least until the transfer portal opens tomorrow.

“We had a feeling this was our time, and this is our year,” said Rice in the postgame press conference.

For South Carolina, Staley said postgame that this loss can drive her team for next year.

“Losing in the national championship game the way we lost, I guess that will be the thing that really drives us,” Staley said. “You need something to drive you throughout the really hard times and the challenging times, and also the good times.”

#UCLA #womens #basketball #underdog #national #champion #ultimate #team #effort">UCLA women’s basketball went from underdog to national champion behind an ultimate team effort  PHOENIX — With under four minutes left to go in the 2026 NCAA women’s national championship game, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice were subbed out of the game, headed to their bench and hugged their head coach Cori Close. Seconds later, senior Gabriela Jaquez hits a 3-point shot to give the Bruins a 79-45 lead. Jaquez then heads to the bench to be subbed out, waves her hands in the air to pump up the UCLA crowd and braces for a hug with Close. The UCLA student section was yelling “MVP, MVP.” In a matchup where heading into the game, they were considered the underdogs, facing a South Carolina team making its fifth national championship appearance since 2017, the Bruins looked like everything but that on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona.UCLA made history on Sunday afternoon at Mortgage Matchup Center, winning its first national championship in program history for the NCAA Tournament era. The Bruins won an AIAW national championship back in 1978, lead by notable women’s basketball legend Ann Meyers Drysdale.From the first whistle, UCLA looked like a focused team on a mission. The Bruins were quick with pace, aggressive on defense and making shots. The Gamecocks on the other hand had a horrible night shooting. At halftime, South Carolina shot 26 percent from the field and 1-for-8 from the 3-point line. The Gamecocks finished the game going 18-for-62 from the field and 2-for-15 from the arc.“UCLA had a lot to do with it,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said about her team’s shooting woes. “I didn’t think we had to play perfect basketball, but we had to play better basketball. We had to make shots, create offense for our defense. We had to be better defensively, actually pushing them off their spots. I think they got to where they needed to go. We didn’t apply enough pressure for us to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball. Because you can have a good defensive possession, but give up an offensive rebound, that’s just really deflating.”Despite glimpses of full-court press and switching to zone defense, South Carolina never found a spark and the shots never fell. The Gamecocks were also out-rebounded 49-37 and had 12 less points in the paint compared to UCLA’s 40. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, UCLA was up by 20 points, and heading into the fourth quarter the Bruins led 61-32.“UCLA is a quality team with very experienced players who got a taste of being in the Final Four last year. You make adjustments. You use that experience as a learning lesson and you come back sharper and you increase your chances of winning. From last year to this year, they played determined last year, but they played more determined this year. They were so close. They’ve had the experience to do that. They took advantage of it,” Staley said.The Bruins finished the season with a 37-1 overall record, which marks the most wins in a single season for the program. They also finished the season on a 31-game win streak, marking the longest in program history.“The confidence we came out with, we knew we were going to win. When we play together, no one can stop us,” Betts said. “No one cares about stats when you have a ring around your finger.”Last season, Close’s squad lost in the Final Four to eventual national champions UConn, 85-51. Heading into the Final Four games, head coach Close said on Thursday that she didn’t celebrate enough last season and all their accomplishments, but she can today.All five of the Bruins starters scored in double digits figures, and were lead by Jaquez who finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Angela Dugalic came off the bench contributing with nine points, five rebounds and four assists.. Betts won Most Outstanding Player of the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament.“We said all year our selflessness and work ethic would fuel us all season,” Close said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game.UCLA will lose some key pieces from this championship team, with at least four players predicted to be WNBA draft picks. But for now they celebrate, at least until the transfer portal opens tomorrow.“We had a feeling this was our time, and this is our year,” said Rice in the postgame press conference.For South Carolina, Staley said postgame that this loss can drive her team for next year.“Losing in the national championship game the way we lost, I guess that will be the thing that really drives us,” Staley said. “You need something to drive you throughout the really hard times and the challenging times, and also the good times.”  #UCLA #womens #basketball #underdog #national #champion #ultimate #team #effort

Bhuvneshwar Kumar became just the second bowler to tally 200 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s match against Chennai Super Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru on Sunday.

The right-arm medium pacer achieved the milestone by taking the wicket of Ayush Mhatre in the second over of CSK’s 251-run chase.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who is playing for Punjab Kings this season, is the only other bowled to have taken 200 scalps in the IPL.

Bhuvneshwar has also picked 90 T20I wickets for India, and is seventh on the list of Indian bowlers with the most international wickets in the shortest format.

In the IPL, Bhuvneshwar has represented Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB.

Bowlers with most wickets in IPL history

  • Yuzvendra Chahal – 224 wickets in 176 matches
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 200 wickets in 192* matches
  • Sunil Narine – 193 wickets in 191 matches
  • Piyush Chawla – 192 wickets in 192 matches
  • R. Ashwin – 187 wickets in 221 matches

Published on Apr 05, 2026

#Bhuvneshwar #Kumar #bowler #wickets #IPL #history">Bhuvneshwar Kumar becomes second bowler to take 200 wickets in IPL history  Bhuvneshwar Kumar became just the second bowler to tally 200 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s match against Chennai Super Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru on Sunday.The right-arm medium pacer achieved the milestone by taking the wicket of Ayush Mhatre in the second over of CSK’s 251-run chase.Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who is playing for Punjab Kings this season, is the only other bowled to have taken 200 scalps in the IPL.Bhuvneshwar has also picked 90 T20I wickets for India, and is seventh on the list of Indian bowlers with the most international wickets in the shortest format.In the IPL, Bhuvneshwar has represented Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB.Bowlers with most wickets in IPL history
                                                        Yuzvendra Chahal – 224 wickets in 176 matches                    
                                                        Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 200 wickets in 192* matches                    
                                                        Sunil Narine – 193 wickets in 191 matches                    
                                                        Piyush Chawla – 192 wickets in 192 matches                    
                                                        R. Ashwin – 187 wickets in 221 matches                    Published on Apr 05, 2026  #Bhuvneshwar #Kumar #bowler #wickets #IPL #history

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