Celtics' Jayson Tatum laments 'unfortunate timing' of knee injury - ESPN

BOSTON — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said it was «unfortunate timing» that he was forced to watch Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers from the bench in street clothes because of left knee stiffness.

Speaking a day after he missed the Celtics' 109-100 loss in Game 7, Tatum elaborated on his comeback from last season's torn right Achilles, along with his recent knee injury.

«My recovery and comeback [from the Achilles injury] were going so well that how it ended, I didn't think it was going to end that way. It was just unfortunate,» Tatum said Sunday.

«I worked really, really, really, really hard to come back in the fashion that I did and play at the level I was playing at. So for it to end the way it did was a tough pill to swallow.»

The sudden and shocking end to the Celtics' season was a tough pill to swallow for the group. Boston became just the 14th team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series — and the fourth to do so with homecourt advantage.

In addition, Tatum's sudden change in status — from not on the injury report, to questionable with left knee stiffness Saturday afternoon, to ruled out less than two hours before Game 7 tipped off at TD Garden — was the focal point of much of Sunday's discussion.

Tatum had appeared to be bothered by something in the second half of Boston's 106-93 loss in Game 6, though it was unclear whether he could've returned to the game after Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla waved the white flag with 10:24 remaining in the fourth quarter and Boston trailing by 23 points.

But Tatum said that after meeting with the medical team and his trainer, Nick Sang, it was decided he wasn't going to be able to play in what turned out to be Boston's final game of the season.

«It was