BOSTON — As the Celtics fell into a 2-0 series hole to the Knicks, it’s clearly apparent their path to another title will be different. Last season, Kristaps Porzingis missed the majority of the playoffs yet the Celtics still met relatively little resistance on their way to the mountaintop.
But this year is different. The C’s need to be at full strength, and at this point, it’s unclear if they can get there. And they also face a Porzingis conundrum as they look to rally in the East semifinals against the Knicks. They need their big man to produce, but considering his concerning update regarding his illness, it’s unclear if he can provide the Celtics a consistent boost.
“It’s just having an understanding of here’s a guy that’s a competitor and loves to compete at a high level, and he’s not feeling at his best and he’s putting himself out there for us,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So you have to be able to just acknowledge that. So it’s not concerning as much as understanding what he’s trying to do in order to give us a chance.”
When Porzingis is at his best, he makes the Celtics whole on both sides of the floor. He can make deep 3-pointers, post-up mismatches and defend the rim, all giving the Celtics additional flexibility. But that version of Porzingis has been rare these playoffs, and in Game 2, it was apparent he couldn’t play up to his best in limited minutes.
The Celtics have leaned on Al Horford when Porzingis has been sidelined, including last year’s playoffs. He’s the trusty veteran in the locker room, but considering he turns 39 next month, there’s only so much Horford can do with heavy playoff minutes. He played 29 minutes in Game 2, including the entire fourth quarter, but the wear-and-tear got to him as he struggled in stretches.
Fortunately, Luke Kornet’s emergence this season has provided the Celtics a boost. He was another important factor in Game 2, finishing with six points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Kornet was also the long big with a positive plus/minus, finishing at a plus-11 as his defense and rebounding helped keep the Celtics ahead in the game.
“Luke, it’s stability for our group,” Horford said. “Not only now but all year. Luke has been great for us. His presence defensively. His commitment to making winning plays and to help us as a team and to be plugged in at different positions and situations. I can’t say enough about Luke’s impact on our team, on our group. And he just continues to step up every time he’s asked to.”
It doesn’t sound like the Celtics or Porzingis himself knows exactly what he can produce on the court when he is available to play. He had some bright moments in Game 2, but if the illness is causing him a hard crash like he detailed, then his status will need to be monitored on the day-to-day level.
So that’s another challenge the Celtics face, other than looking to claw back into the series. They had their chances to win both Games 1 and 2 considering they had 20-point leads, but the offense disappeared in the fourth quarter. Those losses are certainly not all on Porzingis, but the big man’s peculiar status doesn’t help the situation either.
“It’s just because of the type of talent that he is and who he is as a player, you’d rather have him and you feel his absence because of his versatility and what he’s able to do on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis. “At the same time, to have a guy like KP, you want to have him as much as you can. And so we’ll look at KP to try to do that and I know he’s doing what he can to make sure he’s available.”
