Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
Written by MICHAEL KOH
Art Chansky will no doubt appreciate that two of his teams earned gritty wins despite distressing injury news.
The Boston Celtics and the UNC women’s tennis team are no strangers to the bright lights. The Tar Heels won their first NCAA title two years ago, while the Celtics raised banner No. 18 last summer. Both have instilled a culture which makes them championship threats year in and year out.
But injuries can come for anyone, and they came for both teams’ superstars during this past week.
In the waning minutes of another stunning loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum lunged for a loose ball and went down in pain, grabbing the back of his right ankle. Anyone who watches enough sports knows this is a telltale sign of something very, very bad. Tests confirmed the worst: a torn right Achilles tendon for Boston’s brightest star. It’s an injury which can keep a player out for a year or more.
With the Celtics down 3-1 in the series and their hopes of a repeat on life support, no one could have blamed them for rolling over in Game 5 of the series Wednesday night. Instead, the defending champions played with pride and bludgeoned the Knicks by 25 points.
Perhaps it’s foolish to expect Boston to win-ones-for-the-Gipper all the way back to the NBA Finals, but the Celtics proved their mettle by staving off elimination for a few more days.
A similar situation played out in the NCAA Women’s Tennis quarterfinals yesterday in Waco. No. 5 overall seed UNC was facing No. 13 LSU for a spot in the Final Four. After winning in doubles and taking a 1-0 lead in the first-to-four points match, the Tar Heels took to the singles courts feeling good. But all that dissipated on No. 1 court, when ACC Player of the Year Reese Brantmeier immediately grabbed her knee after landing awkwardly on a serve.
Brantmeier is UNC’s top player in both singles and doubles, and recently received the “Elite 90” award as the player with the highest GPA at the NCAA Championships. An exercise and sport science and studio art double major, Brantmeier has previously been profiled in this very column for her accomplishments off the court.
Brantmeier has dealt with injuries in the past, such as a meniscus issue which prematurely ended her 2024 spring season and kept her out for nearly a year. She was back to fine form for UNC this spring, helping the Tar Heels win the ACC Tournament, but the knee she injured Thursday was the same one she hurt the year before.
Brantmeier’s teammates, no doubt aware of their friend’s situation on No. 1 court, had to shed that weight and focus on their matches. And they did so beautifully, winning three of the first four matches in singles to clinch the overall match 4-2 and advance to the Final Four.
Like the Celtics, UNC will face long odds when it takes on No. 1 overall seed Georgia Saturday morning, especially if Brantmeier can’t compete. Whatever happens, though, the Tar Heels honored their fallen friend by playing with the heart of a champion.
chapelboroaudio.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2025/05%20-%20May/16/Sports%20Notebook%20051625%20FINAL.mp3
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Mario Terrana
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: Gritty Wins Chapelboro.com.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Chansky’s Notebook: Gritty Wins )
Also on site :
- Robert Irwin Goes Red Carpet Official With Lucky Lady: 'It's a Big Step'
- Beloved '90s Country Singer, 64, Is Unrecognizable in Recent Performance
- Meet Scottie Scheffler’s Wife, Meredith Scudder