Additionally, Jaylen Brown played through a knee injury, while Kristaps Porzingis battled an undiagnosed illness that severely impacted his performance. Other key players, including Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser, also dealt with injuries, leaving the team compromised.

Brad Stevens bemoaned the Celtics' inability to land an early knockout punch against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Their Game 6 defeat came days after star forward Jayson Tatum underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that will keep him out for the majority, if not all, of next season. Where do the Celtics go from here?