Fan Blames Jayson Tatum, Who Didn’t Even Play in Celtics’ Game 7 Loss to 7th Seed Sixers

Boston Celtics were dealt with a major blow after Jayson Tatum was ruled out for Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Fan Blames Jayson Tatum, Who Didn’t Even Play in Celtics’ Game 7 Loss to 7th Seed Sixers

Jayson Tatum (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Jayson Tatum was ruled out of Game 7 due to knee stiffness, impacting the Celtics' performance.
  • The Celtics lost to the 76ers 109-100, marking the first time they blew a 3-1 series lead.
  • A frustrated fan blamed Tatum for the loss, despite his absence being due to health concerns.

It was always going to be a tall ask for the Boston Celtics to come all guns blazing after ruling out Jayson Tatum hours before their Game 7 clash against the Philadelphia 76ers. It is never a pleasing sight to see a team missing their star player in a high-octane game in the playoffs.

Tatum’s absence came to haunt his team as they suffered a 109-100 defeat to the 76ers at the TD Garden on Saturday night. The Game 7 loss saw them blow a 3-1 lead for the first time in their history. They were 32-0 when taking a 3-1 series lead, while the 76ers were 0-18 when down 3-1.

With 15 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, the game was all but done as the 76ers were leading 105-98. A Celtics fan from the stands lashed out at Tatum for not taking to the court and helping his team.

It’s your fault bro! Look at you sitting down (pointing at Jayson Tatum). You the reason we lost. You couldn’t play.

Boston Celtics fan going on a rant from the stands

After suffering an Achilles Tendon rupture in the playoffs last year, Jayson Tatum was expected to miss the entire 2025-26 campaign. However, the Celtics forward made a speedy recovery and was able to make 16 appearances in the regular season.

With Jaylen Brown playing at an MVP level, the Celtics found themselves competing for a top-three spot in the Eastern Conference standings despite not having Tatum for the majority of the season. They finished second, and when Tatum returned, many believed the Celtics were a strong contender in a wide-open Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately, Tatum was not able to help his team in their most crucial game of the season so far. He was cleared to play in Game 7 at first, but the medical staff decided to proceed with caution and ruled him out for the final game of the series.

The internet reacts to Celtics fan crashing out on Jayson Tatum

It looked like Jayson Tatum was slowly starting to find his rhythm with more games under his belt. The 28-year-old led the way in crunch time in Game 3 and helped his side take a 2-1 lead in the series. With no Tatum on the side on Saturday, they were playing catch-up for the majority of the game.

After the Celtics fan went all out on Tatum, the clip went viral across social media, and NBA fans took to the internet to react to the fan’s rant.

While fans could understand the fan’s frustration as they lost Game 7 at home, many emphasized that the player’s health is more important. The Celtics medical staff took the call a few hours before the game after clearing him the day before, as Tatum felt some stiffness in his knee on Saturday.

Jaylen Brown on Jayson Tatum missing Game 7

While Jaylen Brown has carried the Celtics throughout the regular season this year, it was never going to be easy to pull it off against a healthy 76ers. With Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey all looking fit and healthy, the 76ers are a far better team than their eighth-place finish in the Eastern Conference standings suggests.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (Image credits – L.A. Times)

After the loss, Brown spoke about taking to court in a Game 7 without Jayson Tatum by his side.

I felt great how our team responded. Obviously down our best player. Superstar Jayson Tatum wasn’t there. Which could’ve helped but I’m proud of my team.

Jaylen Brown in his post-match press conference

In the six games Tatum played in this series, he was averaging 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists. However, nothing should be taken away from the 76ers as they pulled off a memorable 3-1 comeback and progressed to the Eastern Conference Semifinal.

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