EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBOSTON -- In a seismic development, Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was ruled out of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Philadelphia 76ers with left knee stiffness.The designation comes just under two hours before tipoff of the conclusion of the latest installment of one of the league's oldest rivalries."He just came in today with knee discomfort," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said during his pregame media availability a few minutes after Tatum was ruled out. "And we decided, the medical staff and myself, that he would not play."Mazzulla, who added Tatum had discomfort behind his knee and that he was day-to-day, declined to say who would be starting in Tatum's place.Tatum had originally been listed as questionable with left knee stiffness six hours before tipoff, and after the Celtics had said for two days he didn't have any issues coming out of a loss in Game 6.It was Tatum's right leg that he suffered the torn Achilles in last May -- with the one-year anniversary coming up on Wednesday of this week -- and that he returned from back in March, only to quickly begin to resemble the player that has consistently been among the league's best for the past several seasons.But it was his left that appeared to be an issue when he left Boston's 106-93 loss to Philadelphia in Game 6 Thursday night with 4:03 to go in the third quarter and never returned to the game. He went back to the locker room for awhile, before coming back to the bench early in the fourth quarter. With Boston trailing by more than 20 points in the fourth quarter, Mazzulla decided not to put Tatum back in the game.Both Mazzulla and Tatum downplayed that there was any issue with the knee after the game.Saturday's Game 7 will have plenty of history on the line for both sides. This is the 23rd time the two teams have squared off in a playoff series - the most times any two teams have played each other in the postseason in NBA history. Boston, meanwhile, has won six consecutive meetings between the two teams in the playoffs, going all the way back to 1982 - the last time Philadelphia won an NBA title.The Celtics have also been Joel Embiid 's biggest nemesis in the playoffs over the course of his career. Tatum and the Celtics have knocked Embiid out of the playoffs three times already: a five-game loss in the 2018 conference semifinals, in a 2020 first-round sweep and in 2023 in a second-round series that went the distance after the Celtics came from behind to win Game 6 in Philadelphia.Boston, which led this series 3-1 before Philadelphia won Game 5 here Tuesday and Game 6 back in Philly Thursday, has gone 32-0 in its history when leading 3-1 in a best-of-7 series. The 76ers, on the other hand, are 0-18 when facing that scenario - the worst mark in NBA history.
