In Jayson Tatum's return to the Boston Celtics after tearing his Achilles, his team got the better of the Dallas Mavericks, but the All-Star admitted that there were some tough feelings to go with the game.
The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Boston Celtics on Friday, losing 120-100. The final score, to fans of both teams, didn't really matter that much. Most fans were concerned with Jayson Tatum's return from a torn Achilles tendon.
Ten months ago, in the playoffs, Tatum suffered a career-altering injury and was largely expected to miss the entire season. The Celtics, meanwhile, shed payroll and seemingly embraced a down year without their best player.
Instead, Jaylen Brown has led them to the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and now with Tatum back, it seems feasible that they could make a Finals run.
However, just because he's back on the court doens't mean the recovery process is over, and Tatum knows that.
'Anxious' Jayson Tatum Made Return to Celtics
Tatum has not shied away from the fact that he thought his career might have been over when he suffered his injury.
He made a faster return to the floor than most would, but he was clearly not his usual self, scoring 15 points in 27 minutes on lackluster shooting numbers, although he did add 12 rebounds and seven assists.
"I just felt really anxious," he revealed. "It's been a long time coming just to get to this point. Many nights and days, I dreamed about this moment and the anticipation, the crowd."
While the emotional toll and weight were clear, the actual physical recovery has been overlooked by some, and Tatum is aware that it will take him a few games at least to get up to speed.
"You know it's been 42 and a half weeks since I played an NBA game, so you know just trying to get caught up on the speed and everything," he explained. "I just kind of felt like I was a step off or moving too fast, but you know, the game started to slow down as I just kind of relaxed a little bit."
Of course, a player of Tatum's stature doesn't really have to be at his best to impact winning, although as Boston prepares for a playoff push, it certainly helps.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, are gearing up for a rebuild, fully embracing Cooper Flagg as their centerpiece moving forward. Boston and Dallas are on two very separate timelines.