BOSTON — When Kristaps Porzingis labored through his final few minutes in the Celtics’ Game 2 win over the Mavericks, it was natural for C’s fans to be worried. The big man was fresh off coming back from a lengthy layoff, after all, as he missed more than a month because of his strained right calf.
But all indications say that Porzingis should be fine for Game 3 against the Mavs, set for 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. He’ll get whatever tweak he hurt checked out Monday, giving him a little bit more time before making his return in Dallas. So Celtics fans can breathe a little easier, knowing there doesn’t appear to be any serious injury currently.
“Obviously something happened a little bit,” Porzingis said. “But I have a couple days again. Believe me, we will do everything we can to be back and moving well. … I’ll die out there if we need. Just kept going. Obviously I was a little limited, so smart thing was to get Al (Horford) back in there and close out the game.”
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Porzingis’ tweak also puts the Celtics in an interesting position. The C’s currently lead the Finals 2-0 after their Game 2 victory, giving them an important advantage. But this is the NBA Finals, where outcomes can flip at a moment’s notice. So while there could be thoughts about being conservative, the C’s don’t really have much else to play for other than picking up two more wins.
Porzingis is also on a minutes restriction, which he confirmed ahead of Game 2. While many expected the big man to be reinserted into the starting lineup, he’s come off the bench in the past two games. After tweaking his leg, it appears that is the best course of action for Porzingis going forward. There could have been a plan for the Celtics to unleash their big man for extended minutes, but the new development could mean they’re going to be cautious with him going forward.
Regardless, the Celtics earned this opportunity. If they trailed in the Finals, there could be more pressure to play Porzingis more despite the injury risks. But instead, the Celtics can just lean on their reliable big man in Horford, who will likely continue to retain his starting role. The 38-year-old Horford has produced despite big minutes, and that’s another luxury the Celtics are afforded because of their roster construction.
When Porzingis has been on the court, he’s been his game-breaking self. He only played 23 minutes in Game 2, but he finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks on 4-for-7 shooting. Notably, there doesn’t appear to be any rust with his jumper as he’s knocked down some tough midrange looks despite the Mavs’ physicality.
Regardless, it’s a different scenario currently than the East Finals against the Pacers. Back then, the Celtics also had a comfortable series lead as Porzingis inched closer to his return. But even in the conference finals, the Celtics knew they’d have at least one more series for Porzingis to prepare for. Of course, there’s nothing beyond the Finals. All that’s left for the Celtics this season to reach their goal is to pick up two more victories. That’s all that stands between them and history.
“Today, I felt better,” Porzingis said. “A little better conditioning. Like I said before, even though I had a really good comeback game, it’s tough to jump into the rhythm like that and have the conditioning and have the rhythm and have all of those things. But I think I did a decent job tonight again and helped the team win and that’s it. We move forward.”
