The Celtics opened the East Finals against the Pacers shorthanded as they’re without Kristaps Porzingis. The big man has continued his rehab from a strained right soleus with the hope that he’ll be back soon. Well, the injury timeline is coming into focus with the C’s in the conference finals.
Porzingis will miss the next couple games, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics are hoping for a Game 4 return for the big man. That game of the East Finals is set for next Monday in Indiana, which would be about four weeks since Porzingis hurt his calf April 29 against the Heat.
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The Celtics, of course, will take a healthy Porzingis to make them whole again in the East Finals. They’re still heavy favorites against the Pacers, but they’ll need Porzingis later on in the playoffs. He’s been a consistent threat for the C’s on both ends of the floor, transforming their offense as a post option. But the C’s have managed to keep racking up playoff victories even with Porzingis sidelined.
“KP’s been great,” Jaylen Brown said Monday. “Still been very active getting at every practice, making sure he’s still involved at every team huddle and just staying in the mix. Mentally, even though physically, he’s not really fully there yet. Mentally, he’s still been engaged and that’s a great sign. When his body catches up to full health, we’ll be ready to rock and roll.”
