Jaylen Brown and the rest of the Boston Celtics knew what was at stake on Wednesday night.
Another loss to the New York Knicks would have marked the end of the 2024-25 season — and a championship defense that commenced this spring with so much promise.
Still, it was hard for a reeling Celtics team to completely compartmentalize the emotions born out of seeing their best player, Jayson Tatum, crumpled to the floor in pain on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Just 48 hours later, Tatum is recovering in a hospital — his availability this season and potentially next year dashed due to a ruptured Achilles tendon — while his teammates sit on the brink of elimination.