NEW YORK — The next time the Celtics take the court, they’ll likely be a completely different version of their defending champion selves. Jayson Tatum’s injury in their Game 4 loss to the Knicks was not only deflating, but casts some doubt even beyond just these playoffs.
The severity of Tatum’s injury is unclear at this point as he’s set to get an MRI on Tuesday. But in the meantime, all the Celtics can do is look to keep their season alive in Game 5, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, against the Knicks. And, fortunately, Kristaps Porzingis had a positive and potentially helpful illness update following Game 4.
“Tonight was the first time I felt decent, honestly,” Porzingis said. “Just everything. My energy, I was more like uplifted, and maybe didn’t have my best game, anyway. But my energy was good and I felt like I could go a bit more up and down, so that was a positive.”
Porzingis came off the bench again in Game 4, but he did play in 24 minutes, which is the most since Game 3 of the first round against the Magic. He finished with seven points and four rebounds, shooting 2-for-6 from the field. Porzingis had some nice moments, collecting three offensive rebounds, though he still struggled for stretches.
Regardless, the Celtics are going to need significantly more from Porzingis from a production standpoint. Losing Tatum for an elimination game puts significantly more pressure on the rest of the roster.
“We’re grown men,” Porzingis said. “Who hasn’t had injuries? It’s a part of this sport, part of this game, and we feel for him, of course. But we have to move forward. He doesn’t want us to be sad and not playing our best basketball. So we’re going to go out there and leave it all out there and live with the results.”
Porzingis called the illness “super weird” as it’s been an issue that’s bogged him down for months at this point. He revealed he could sleep for 12 hours since his body needed all that time to recover. But he described it as heavy fatigue in his muscles as he tries to do everything he can to be ready for the intensity of playoff games.
While Porzingis is feeling better, the on-court results will have to change for the Celtics to have a chance. As he has battled this injury, it’s limited not only his availability but his play, as well. So, with the Celtics staring elimination right in the face, Porzingis will need to be one of the guys to step up come Wednesday’s game.
“We have a lot of talent,” Porzingis said. “Even with JT out, even me maybe playing 10-15 minutes, we have the guys and we’ve shown in the past that we can play still really good basketball. Obviously, there’s no replacement for this guy, no? Like, this is a big hit for us, 100%. But again, we have to play with the hand we’re dealt right now, and this is it.”
