Magic Johnson was one of the many basketball enthusiasts who were in awe of the showing that Kristaps Porzingis put up in his return to the Boston Celtics’ lineup. After missing 10 games in the postseason due to a soleus injury, no one could’ve quite predicted Porzingis to be the most impactful player in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. But that’s exactly what he did with his decisive 20-point display.
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Despite playing on a minutes restriction, the unicorn scored 20 points in just 20 minutes coming off the bench. After his performance resulted in Joe Mazzulla’s boys winning 107-89 at TD Garden, Magic took to social media to shower KP with some lofty praise.
The Lakers legend recognized the Latvian for being the “key” piece in the Celtics’ system. In his tweet on the game on X (formerly “Twitter”), Magic wrote,
“Kristaps Porzingis was the key to the Celtics win tonight! He ignited their offense, scoring 10 points off the bench in the first quarter, and finishing out the game with 20. Five other Celtics followed his lead – Brown (22 points), Tatum (16 points), White (15 points), Holiday (12 points) and Horford (10 points).”
Kristaps Porzingis was the key to the Celtics win tonight! He ignited their offense, scoring 10 points off the bench in the first quarter, and finishing out the game with 20. Five other Celtics followed his lead – Brown (22 points), Tatum (16 points), White (15 points), Holiday…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 7, 2024
In his subsequent tweet, Magic also highlighted the Celtics’ suffocating defense that stifled the Mavs’ offense on Thursday night. He pointed out that the Boston team’s depth makes them a mismatch against Dallas, who rely heavily on the scoring of their superstar duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
The Celtics defense smothered the Mavs and took them completely out their game. Like I said earlier this week – the Celtics just have more depth and firepower than the Mavs and it was on full display tonight!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 7, 2024
The Celtics played near-perfect defense to prevent Doncic and Irving from going on a scoring rampage yesterday. The Cs recording 15 ‘stocks’ (steals + blocks) resulted in the Mavs putting up almost 20 points less than their postseason average(per ESPN) with a 6% decline in shooting efficiency .
Shaquille O’Neal also joined Magic Johnson to praise Porzingis. Following the game, Shaq expressed how impressive the center was even though he wasn’t expected to make an instant impact after being out for five weeks.
.@SHAQ: “I’m happy for Porzingis…that’s the type of game you want…I still need my superstars to play at a high level.” pic.twitter.com/VF5Ya346A4
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 7, 2024
Porzingis was always touted to be the most essential missing piece for the Cs in this series. Apart from his scoring, his defensive presence in the paint will continue to be useful in the series.
Boston fans will also be pleased to learn that KP didn’t seem to be bothered by the soleus injury anymore. While protecting their star big man will be crucial as the series advances, Joe Mazzulla and his coaching staff will also be expected to increase Porzingis’ minutes. It’ll be interesting to see if the 7ft 2” player starts Game 2.
