The Miami Heat took a 2-1 lead in Game 3 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Boston Celtics 109-103 at TD Garden, recovering the home-court advantage against the Greens. It was another great night for the Floridian team, even though they lost Jimmy Butler to an injury.
It was a very turbulent night for the Heat due to Butler’s injury, but he wasn’t the only one that went down. At some point, Jayson Tatum appeared to have hurt his shoulder and had to leave the game for a little before returning and finishing the game.
Initially, it looked like it was something serious for Tatum, but he quickly came back to the court, raising some eyebrows in the process. Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright even remembered one situation where a player was injured and then returned as if nothing happened.
Wright mentioned the ‘wheelchair incident’ of Paul Pierce and even suggested that Jayson Tatum could have suffered the same injury as The Truth did many years ago:
So can someone explain what happened to Tatum + his reaction + him missing approximately 90 seconds to me without using the words “Paul Pierce” and “wheelchair”?
— nick wright (@getnickwright) May 22, 2022
So can someone explain what happened to Tatum + his reaction + him missing approximately 90 seconds to me without using the words “Paul Pierce” and “wheelchair”?
https://twitter.com/Ryguy613/status/1528214194612449281
"he want to embrace the tough guy persona" is the best description
If he was actually tough, he wouldn't be screaming in pain calling for trainers every time he went down….
— Betsey (@Betsycashmoney) May 22, 2022
He faked it so he doesn't get embarrassed by that steal from dipo. And you call this man a superstar? lol He just cost them the game. Should've stayed in the dugout
— JMS (@MrSharkitect) May 22, 2022
Funny how the Celtics made a run right when he came off the court and the second he came back it stopped.
— KP22 (@KevPen14) May 22, 2022
They want to play herro ball smart did the same , fake injuries
— Lucas Dias (@lucasvix2014) May 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/showgunn14/status/1528344377613066241
dislocated shoulder, popped back in, the pain let’s up so he went back in but the stability is all effed up (prob why he hasn’t shot)
— d00dbuffet (@d00dbuffet) May 22, 2022
Him and smart
— Un.censored_727 (@JeffreyPetrino) May 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/JetBlkM3/status/1528210637695885314
Paul Pierce, like, actually soiled his white shorts.
All in all, I’d say he still came out looking as good as possible.
Just imagine the screen caps that COULD have come out of that. 💩
— Andrew Verry – North Dakota (@Averry) May 22, 2022
I can tell Nick & most of you don’t understand how the body works or initially reacts to pain
— Ruben Angel Ibarra (@Ruben_A_Ibarra) May 22, 2022
He got a stinger in his shoulder, which is very painful for a bit then fades
— jick nackson (@nickjackson2009) May 22, 2022
Totally looked like a stinger!
— Thomas J Garner (@tjgphoto) May 22, 2022
A lot has been said about what actually happened to Paul Pierce during that time, especially with the player offering contradictory versions. First, he admitted he pooped himself, only to clarify that never happened.
Regardless, that moment is still remembered around the NBA community, and fans are still trying to find a solution to that. It seems like the TD Garden can make those things happen to its players, adding Tatum to this shortlist.
In the end, Tatum didn’t play as well as expected, only recording 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He knows he must do better if the Celtics want to return to Miami with a good chance to come back in the series. Hopefully, for them, things will go smoothly, without any reason to be concerned, especially regarding the health of the players.
