Jayson Tatum update confirms Celtics nightmare: Is Knicks series officially over?

Boston Celtics fans' worst fears have become reality. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, star forward Jayson Tatum has undergone surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon. Tatum went down with the injury late in the fourth quarter during Boston's loss on Monday night against the New York Knicks.

Celtics fans hoped the injury wasn't as bad as it appeared on the court, but even the most optimistic fans knew that Tatum had suffered something serious. Now, he will not only be out for the remainder of Boston's postseason run, but he'll miss most, if not all, of next season as well.

All Celtics fans can do now is hope that the team can rally and survive without the team's best player. As fun of a story as that'd be, there's little reason to believe that'll actually happen.

Jayson Tatum update was worst-case scenario for Celtics fans.

There's no underselling just how big of a blow this is for Boston. Tatum is not only their best player, but he's one of the best players in the NBA. Any team winning a second-round series without its second-best player is a tough challenge, especially when down three games to one. Yes, the Celtics will have to find a way to win three straight games without Tatum just to advance.

The Celtics just lost a game in which Tatum dropped 42 points on 16-for-28 shooting from the field, and they blew another massive second-half lead in the process. If they couldn't win that game, especially after blowing two other huge leads earlier in the series, what gives anyone the impression that they can beat a really formidable and healthy Knicks team three straight times without Tatum? Maybe with the version of Tatum that we saw on Monday prior to his injury, the Celtics make things interesting, but this 3-1 deficit without Tatum feels impossible to come back from.

The Celtics do have several high-end players still on their roster, like Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White, but is that really enough? Brown has a Finals MVP on his resume, but he, in particular, has struggled mightily in this Knicks series, and Porzingis is not healthy. Without Tatum, it just feels like they don't have enough firepower to win three straight against a quality opponent.

Again, this is an unspeakably frustrating blow for Boston. The Celtics' season feels completely over right now, and next season could be an even bigger mess.