Look, Celtics fans, if your heart didn’t immediately shatter into a million pieces like a Samsung screen falling face-down on concrete, you probably weren’t watching Game 4 live.

With less than three minutes left in Monday’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, Boston’s golden boy, Jayson Tatum, went down in horrifying fashion. And not the “took a charge and needs a second” type of down. No, this was a “get the wheelchair, we have a situation” kind of moment. Cue every Celtics fan’s soul leaving their body.

Tatum was on a heater—42 points on 57% shooting, raining fire from deep (7-of-16 from three), throwing in eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks just for good measure. Basically, he was doing everything short of driving the team bus home. And then it happened.

After Jaylen Brown turned the ball over, Tatum tried to stop OG Anunoby from turning defense into a highlight dunk. He dove for the loose ball, his leg planted weirdly… and then, snap. Non-contact injury. The basketball gods giveth, and then they hit Delete on your franchise player.

He stayed down, face-first on the Garden hardwood, gripping his lower right leg while the entire arena went silent. Even Knicks fans, who are usually louder than a toddler on a sugar high, knew something serious had just gone down. Tatum was eventually helped off the court, unable to put any weight on his right leg, and was seen moments later… in a wheelchair. Yes. A wheelchair. That’s how bad it looked.

The internet? Instantly in shambles. LeBron James took to social media to offer support. Kevin Durant probably screamed into his burner account. Celtics fans everywhere reenacted the “Sopranos faint” meme. And Knicks fans were left unsure whether to cheer the win or worry about what they’d just witnessed.

Now let’s be clear: Joe Mazzulla isn’t saying much. At the postgame presser, the Celtics coach looked like a man who just watched his dog get hit by a car in slow motion. “It’s a lower-body injury and he’ll have an MRI tomorrow,” he told reporters. “We’ll see where it goes from there. It’s tough to see a guy like him get carried off. He’s the type of guy who gets right up.”

There’s a terrifying “A” word hanging in the air: Achilles. Yeah, that Achilles. The same one that just KO’d Damian Lillard’s season. Tatum grabbing at his leg above the ankle? Not a good sign. Celtics Nation is on edge, refreshing Woj’s Twitter like it’s a stock ticker.

Tatum Down Bad, Celtics Down Catastrophically

 The Knicks won 121-113, going up 3-1 in the series, but let’s be honest—Game 4 turned into a Shakespearean tragedy starring Tatum. Let’s hit the depressing numbers anyway: Jaylen Brown scored 20 points but shot just 43.8% and looked more lost than a tourist on the NYC subway. Derrick White actually had a solid game: 23 points, 6 threes. If only defense was optional.

Al Horford, god bless him, gave vintage grandpa energy: 1-of-2 shooting, 5 points, and vibes. Kristaps Porzingis? Missing. Like, MIA missing. 7 points in 24 minutes while Karl-Anthony Towns roasted him like chestnuts in December.

And on the Knicks’ side: Jalen Brunson might be 6 feet tall with shoes on, but man’s got 7-foot heart: 39 points, 12 assists, completely dismantling Boston’s perimeter defense like it was a IKEA desk with no instructions. Towns added 23 on 73.3% shooting (that’s not a typo), while Mikal Bridges threw in another 23.

Oh, and OG Anunoby, the guy involved in Tatum’s injury? 20 points and a trip to Celtics nightmares. Honestly? It’s Defcon 1. Boston now trails 3-1 in the series, and unless Tatum pulls a Paul Pierce and walks out of that wheelchair like he just needed a bathroom break (remember that??), the Celtics are in deep trouble.

And let’s not sugarcoat it: Boston without Tatum is like “Succession” without Logan Roy—technically it exists, but why even bother? The Celtics were already walking a tightrope after a weird season that included Porzingis limping through playoff games, Jaylen Brown occasionally forgetting how to dribble, and Joe Mazzulla calling timeouts like they were Black Friday coupons.

Now, without Jayson Tatum? Everything looks hollow. This man was the plan. And his present, future, and MRI results will now determine the fate of not just the series, but possibly the Celtics’ entire offseason strategy. We’ll get the full update after the MRI, but until then? Celtics fans are going to be sleeping with one eye open and Twitter notifications on.

And for now, one thing is brutally clear: Jayson Tatum’s 42-point masterpiece may have been his last appearance in the 2025 playoffs. Wheelchair. Garden silence. MRI pending. Pain.

Let’s just hope the MRI comes back saying “just a tweak.” Because if not? The Celtics aren’t just down 3-1. They’re down a franchise.