New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson is a game away from leading his time to the conference finals. But he also recognizes that basketball is bigger than just the playoff bracket. And earlier this week,

Tatum suffered what appeared to be a serious lower leg injury late in the fourth quarter. He writhed in pain on the court, had to be carried off by Celtics staffers and was seen on ESPN’s broadcast riding in a wheelchair after exiting down the tunnel.

The Celtics bid for back-to-back NBA titles officially is on life support after yet another second-half nosedive. Looking to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at two games apiece, Boston instead squandered a 14-point third-quarter lead and a phenomenal performance from Jayson Tatum in a 121-113 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.