Alive and well Boston Celtics out to even series against NY Knicks in Game 6

NEW YORK – It appears it was not mentioned to the Boston Celtics that they were supposed to go away quietly in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s devastating Achilles injury.

The Celtics were loud and boisterous while facing elimination and won in dominant fashion on May 14.

Now, they have the opportunity to even the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference semi-finals at three games apiece when they visit the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on May 16 (May 17, Singapore time).

Tatum’s injury in Game 4 inspired Boston, who delivered a 127-102 home rout in Game 5. While he is their star man, the Celtics are 10-2 without Tatum this season, including 2-0 in the play-offs.

“It’s easy to kind of write things off. Obviously, unfortunate what happened to JT, but we’ve still got basketball to be played. I believe in this group. Don’t count us out just yet,” Boston co-star and forward Jaylen Brown said.

The lopsided Game 5 victory transfers the pressure to the Knicks, who need to wrap up the series to avoid a Game 7 at TD Garden on May 19.

New York star Jalen Brunson could feel the urgency after his team were outscored by 25 points in the second half. He also made it clear the Knicks did not relax due to Tatum’s misfortune.

“No, not at all. Yes, they are missing a big piece, but they are a well-oiled machine that has been in situations where they’ve played without him, and they’ve played well,” the guard said.

“We need to understand that and trust the game plan and play to win. It’s as simple as that.”

Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis did not play in the second half of Game 5 due to ongoing issues with a viral illness. He had one