Kristaps Porzingis has been sidelined from basketball activities for the last five weeks due to a calf injury. Boston Celtics They made it to the 2024 NBA Finals without him, but now they’ll face their toughest opponent yet. Dallas MavericksPorzingis was expected to return for Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday, June 6, but his latest comments regarding the injury are not necessarily encouraging.
Porzingis spoke to the media on Tuesday and was asked if it hurts when he runs. He considered the question, smiled, took a long time to answer, then said it doesn’t hurt: “Yeah, it does.” If you watch this video, you won’t believe what he’s saying.
Porzingis said he plans to play in Game 1, but the way he said it left room for doubt. Via ESPN:
“That’s the plan right now,” Porzingis said of Thursday’s game. “Again, we’ve got a few more days and I think that’s going to make a difference. It gives us time to get a little bit better every day.”
When asked if he was 100 percent healthy, Porzingis said, “We’ll see.”
When asked if he was 100 percent, Kristaps Porzingis took a moment to say, “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
And he said the plan right now is to play in Game 1. “It gives me time to get a little bit better every day.”
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 4, 2024
The good news for the Celtics is that Porzingis is back on the court for the NBA Finals. He’s scrimmaging with the team, getting his injured calf checked and trying to get back into game shape before Game 1 begins. He hasn’t played since Game 4 of the Celtics’ first-round series against the Miami Heat on April 29.
Jack Simone of the Celtics Blog posted a great summary of Porzingis’ media availability on Tuesday..
The Celtics won the Eastern Conference without Porzingis and are 12-2 in the postseason heading into the NBA Finals. They need Porzingis on the court more than ever as they face the Mavericks. Boston’s starting five-man lineup with Porzingis posted a +12 net rating on more than 1,200 possessions during the regular season. The same unit with backup Al Horford in Porzingis’ place posted just a +1.3 net rating on 649 possessions. Cleaning the glass.
It’s hard to imagine the Mavericks winning this series if Porzingis plays at his best — Boston can win even if Porzingis isn’t at his best — but the gaps tend to close in the NBA Finals, especially when Dallas has the best player in the series.
The 2024 NBA Finals would be amazing, and Boston can only hope that Porzingis is ready for the biggest game of his career.
