MIAMI — When Kristaps Porzingis limped off the court with his right calf injury, it was clear the Celtics needed to adjust their strategy. Porzingis is crucial to the team’s postseason success as his play has sparked the C’s all season. But at the very least, the big man was out for the rest of Game 4.
So, at halftime, Al Horford said he chatted up his fellow big men on the roster, guys like Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta. The message was simple: “We need to step up and do a little more and do what’s needed.” So that’s what they did in the second half as the C’s came away with the Game 4 victory to put them up 3-1 in the first-round series against the Heat. Horford played Porzingis’ minutes while Kornet also saw a little bit of action.
The attention now shifts to beyond Monday’s victory as it’s unclear what Porzingis’ status will be going forward. While there is some optimism Porzingis’ right calf strain isn’t anything serious, he could still miss time in the short term. And that’s where Horford said the Celtics big men need to up their game.
“The whole season has kind of been that way,” Horford said. “Whether it’s for different reasons, KP wasn’t always playing all the time. So, Luke, Xavier, Neemie have to kind of be ready to step up and answer the call. They’ve been doing a good job of that all year. Obviously, it’s the playoffs now, it’s different, but I have confidence in those guys if they need to come in and bring energy and impact the game.”
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If there is a silver lining, the Celtics front office anticipated this being a possibility. Porzingis has been injury prone throughout his career, which is why they managed the big man’s health all season. As a side effect of sorts, the C’s loaded up on their front-court depth beyond Porzingis and Horford.
So as Horford said, there’s confidence the Celtics can keep winning playoff games even if Porzingis is sidelined beyond just Game 5. Kornet was a reliable regular-season presence all year, earning his minutes and has seen some spot minutes even with Porzingis healthy these playoffs. Kornet was the first big off the bench behind Horford in Game 4.
Beyond Kornet, the Celtics have two more bigs on their 15-man roster for a reason. Tillman was traded from the Grizzlies at the deadline. He has yet to make an impact in the playoffs this season, but he has stepped up in a big way during his time in Memphis. Queta was elevated from two-way to standard contract for a reason: so he could be available in the playoffs in case the Celtics need to lean on him.
All the Celtics can do for now is hope for the best regarding Porzingis’ injury. He had on a walking boot after the game, but it’s too early to nail down a timeline on his return. But as seen during the regular season, the Celtics believe they have the depth to still be able to win games. First, they’ll need to dispatch the Heat in the first round with Game 5 set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden.
“That was the whole key throughout the season is developing different ways to play on both ends of the floor,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So I thought the guys adjusted well to doing that, and I think that’s something we try to focus on, is regardless who’s out there, we have different identities and the guys were able to execute that well in the second half.”
