The Boston Celtics could potentially face the Toronto Raptors in the NBA playoffs, and both Jaylen Brown and Al Horford have not confirmed their vaccination statuses. With the vaccine mandate in place for all players — home and road — in Toronto, the Celtics may be without Brown on the road if they play Toronto. Brown was asked about his vaccination status Sunday.
“Last year, I missed the playoffs — I had a season-ending injury with my wrist,” Brown said following Boston’s 144-102 win over the Wizards Sunday. “This year, from a competitive standpoint, I’m excited and willing to play against anybody. As a vice president of the (NBA) Players Association, it’s part of my job description to protect our players’ rights and our medical privacy.
“So, you won’t hear me comment on my status, or anybody else’s.”
Only four regular players can be unvaccinated for the Celtics, as Boston recently faced off against the Raptors in Toronto. Brown, Robert Williams, Jayson Tatum, and Horford were the only four out, aside from healthy scratches.
“We’re clear on that. I’ll be ready to play wherever,” Horford said earlier this week when asked about his status.
Williams is vaccinated according to ESPN, and Tatum said he is vaccinated on media day. ESPN also said both the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston declined to comment on whether the team is fully vaccinated or not.
“I have my own thoughts about it but I respect my teammates’ decisions and things like that,” Brown said back in October. “I know everybody has their own opinion about it but I think it’s a personal choice.”
Brown then followed that statement up in September.
“I think it’s a personal decision. I have my own thoughts about it, but I respect my teammates’ decisions.”
Now, it may end up not coming into effect if the Celtics don’t play the Raptors in the playoffs — which is a major possibility. Boston sits at 49-30 on the season, good for second place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, while the Raptors are in fifth at 45-32 on the season.
A lot could happen and there’s not a clear picture of how the playoffs will look due to a lot of teams not matching each other’s games played total, but regardless of any seeding, the two will meet in the third round if neither team loses in the first and second round.
With a seeding for Toronto that could be both the No. 1 seed and the No. 7 seed, there are a number of scenarios that the two teams could collide in the playoffs, and it’s not out of the question that the Raptors — who are currently riding a five-game win streak — could get to the third round.
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