CLEVELAND – Jayson Tatum left the Quicken Loans Arena with an undeniable reminder of how physical this playoff series between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers has gotten.
But all indications are that Boston’s leading scorer in the playoffs will be fine for Sunday’s winner-take-all matchup with Cleveland following the Cavs’ 109-99 win over the Celtics on Thursday, a game in which Tatum was rocked by a collision with Cavs all-star Kevin Love.
The incident involving Love occurred in the first quarter when two collided while Tatum was playing defense.
Tatum admitted afterward that it took him a few minutes to shake off the collision.
Kevin Love wasn’t as fortunate, as he fell to the ground and would later undergo tests for a possible concussion.
Cavalier officials said Love was still undergoing concussion-related testing and did not return to action on Thursday. His status remains unclear for Game 7 on Sunday.
Boston Celtics
While Tatum continued to play and finished with 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said the team will still keep tabs on him over the next 24 hours to ensure that he does not in fact have a concussion.
Tatum said he underwent some concussion-related testing shortly after the incident.
“They asked me if I was dizzy, if I had a headache,” Tatum told reporters after the game. “I’m fine.”
But as far as the collision itself, Tatum added, “That was tough. I didn’t see him (Love) coming. It was bad. He didn’t return. I got a knot in the back of my head. I should be alright.”
Stevens agreed.
“Obviously, that was a nasty deal,” Stevens said of the collision. “He (Tatum) felt fine. He'll be just like every other time. We'll continue to talk to him over the next 24 hours to make sure, but every indication is he's fine.”
That’s a good thing for Boston, well aware that defeating LeBron James and the Cavs, even at home, won’t be easy with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line for the winner.
“It's an absolute blast to prepare for as a coach and play in as a player,” Stevens said. “It'll be a heck of a challenge, playing a really good team with obviously a tremendous individual player who put on a tremendous show tonight.”