When the Boston Celtics added Kristaps Porzingis in the 2023 offseason, many felt that they had finally found the missing piece to their 18th franchise title. However, he suffered a serious calf injury just a few games into the playoffs and missed the rest of the Celtics’ dominant Eastern Conference run. But it seems like the 28-year-old has been cleared for the rest of the NBA Finals series after his dominant showing in Game 1.
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Fortunately for the Celtics fans, the Unicorn isn’t included in the NBA’s latest pre-game injury report for the Game 2 battle at TD Garden. This means that Porzingis has been cleared for Game 2 and is completely healthy. Mavs’ Ace Luka Doncic is the only athlete to be included in the report. He is probable and is a lock to suit up for the second game in the Finals.
However, things won’t be easy for Doncic as Porzingis has given the Mavericks plenty to think about.
The Celtics’ dominant run through the East enabled the Latvian to recover from his injury. And after his return from his prolonged hiatus, KP made an instant impact during Game 1 of the 2024 Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
He exploded with 20 points and dominated the paint to help alleviate his squad’s poor shooting night from deep. His defensive impact was also top-notch. After the win, Celtics HC Joe Mazzzulla admired this effort.
In the post-game conference, Mazzulla stated,
“He was great on both ends of the floor, defensive execution, game plan, playing for a spot in the offensive end, being physical, and making plays on both ends of the floor. He played great and that’s the KP that helped us get to where we are today.”
Porzingis’ size coupled with his shooting chops indeed have made the Celtics a much more formidable force. He has become even more lethal after being surrounded by All-NBA level offensive players.
Will the Mavericks have any answer for the Unicorn?
During the Game 1 loss, the Mavs’ frontline looked clueless against Porzingis. The Celtics opted to bring him off the bench and he kicked off an incredible surge after pouring in eight points in a brief spell. His outburst enabled the Celts to put together a 37-20 first quarter run and the Mavs failed to catch up to the tall ask in the rest of the game.
Thus, there is a high chance that the Celtics’ coaching staff will decide to start their ‘X-Factor’ in Game 2. The biggest problem for the Mavericks is that their big men can’t shoot the long ball like Porzingis can, and are mostly rim-runners. Thus, the Latvian phenom is responsible for a prolific match-up advantage for the Celts in the middle.
With shot-creators like Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, the area of operations has expanded for the 7’2” Center. His defensive energy and intense rebounding are a cherry on top. It will be interesting to see what adjustments Jason Kidd makes to give Dallas at least one road game before moving home.
