3 reasons you can’t blame the Boston Celtics’ Game 7 loss on Tatum’s ankle

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Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals was, by almost everyone’s opinion, a tough one. It was a rock fight that lasted until finally the Miami Heat pulled out, leaving the Boston Celtics unanswered. But things quickly got complicated for the Cs.

On the game’s first possession, Celtics star Jayson Tatum badly sprained his ankle.

While it might be easier, or at least simpler, to point to this as the reason for the team’s demise, it wasn’t. It was unfortunate, but several larger factors ultimately led to the loss of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Here are 3 reasons you can’t blame the Boston Celtics’ Game 7 loss on Jayson Tatum’s ankle injury

Boston Celtics Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Reason no. 1: The Heat were also smashed

It would be easy to say that if Tatum was 100% then this game would have turned out differently. But that rationale goes both ways, the Heat were also down from a capable starter and scorer, to Tyler Herro. Also, Boston’s Malcolm Brogdon was clearly not healthy either dealing with a tendon injury in his arm.

Obviously, things do not happen in a vacuum. It wouldn’t be enough to say that if Tatum didn’t roll an ankle and Herro was completely healthy, the outcome would still be the same. Or if Brogdon was still able to shoot, the Boston Celtics would have won either.

Basketball does not have static, player-team-opponent-cause-effect relationships. It’s a fluid game with highly interdependent pieces working with and against other pieces. As these pieces are added or subtracted, everything moves around it.

However, the main point is that assumptions don’t carry as much weight when both teams can throw them back at each other. The way Miami walked was the same way the Celtics needed. They needed to find other talents to fill the gaps.

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