The recent Madison Square Garden (MSG) homecoming resulted in mixed emotions for Kristaps Porzingis. On one hand, the Boston Celtics star’s 22-point display played a vital role in securing a 116-102 away win over the New York Knicks, while on the other, his presence resulted in a displeasure for the home crowd as they boo-ed him during the NBA weekend clash. Soon after the conclusion of the encounter, the 28-year-old candidly reflected on the atmosphere in the post-match conference.
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Interestingly, the Latvia-born displayed a positive outlook towards the exchange while refusing to take the instance personally. The 7ft 2″ star even shed light on the evolution of the Knicks fans’ behavior towards him since his departure from the franchise in 2019.
“I enjoyed it to be honest. I would say they [the booes] went down in my years in Washington [Wizards]. But still getting booed. But I feel like now they have ramped up again a little bit. Me being on Celtics and having this kinda rivalry with the Knicks,” the international center mentioned.
Following this, the 2018 All-Star shed light on his preference while being hosted by the supporters of his former employers. In an attempt to provide a glimpse into his competitive mindset, the 2015 draft pick chose hostility over silent treatment in that instance.
“As I always say, I prefer any kind of emotion over no emotion. So either it’s cheers or boos, I want it. Tonight was no different. Big game. TV game. Fans were into it and we just took care of business. So, good win for us,” Porzingis openly declared.
The unbroken self-belief caught the eyes of the NBA fans as the Celtics star embraced the mental challenge. As a result, his focus remained intact as he shot 7-11 from the field while registering a remarkable 3-4 from behind the arc. Alongside this, his 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 32 minutes showcased his confidence while the visitors extended their run to 45-12 by trusting the versatile center.
Kristaps Porzingis merely seized the opportunity
The impressive run of form of the Eastern Conference giants has been a sight to behold this season. The franchise shook off its playoff disappointments in consecutive two seasons to shift the attention entirely to yet another championship run. Porzingis thus candidly reflected on the consistency as he credited the management for their 78.9% win rate.
“We have to give all the credit to our front office for putting this kinda team together. When the opportunity presented, for me at least, I said, ‘This is gonna work 100 percent. This is gonna or we’re gonna figure it out sooner or later’. And it just worked right away because of the fit, because of where I am in my career,” he mentioned.
His statement displayed the closely-knit nature of the current squad with accountability and selflessness taking precedence. The cultural shift has aided them to cement the top spot on the conference table already. So, a run to the title remains a major possibility at this phase.
