Fans were concerned that Kristaps Porzingis might have reaggravated his injury that kept him out for the majority of the playoffs during the Boston Celtics' 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla calmed any concerns with his comments after the game.
“Zero. He's good,” Joe Mazzulla when asked if Porzingis reaggravated his injury, according to Noa Dalzell of SB Nation.
Kristaps Porzingis played 23 minutes in the Game 2 win, scoring 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting, with the three misses being 3-point shots. Porzingis played 21 minutes in Game 1, when he scored 20 points.
He came off of the bench in each of the first two games. It will be interesting to see if Porzingis stays on the bench for Game 3. It has worked fine for the Celtics in the first two games, so there might not be much incentive to insert him into the starting lineup.
As far as Porzingis goes, he said he feels good, but they will have to take a look at his leg for injury tomorrow, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. He made it clear he would do anything to play in Game 3.
“I will die out there,” Porzingis said, via Weiss.
While Porzingis' words do not shut down the idea that there might be an injury for him, it would be a big surprise if he didn't play in Game 3 in Dallas.
The Celtics will be on the road for Games 3 and 4, and it would be huge if they can get a win in one of those games, given they are up 2-0 in the series. That would set up for the Celtics to potentially clinch in Game 5 at home.
Or Boston could just win the next two and sweep. They have been dominant all year and in this postseason and just swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and have won nine-straight games.
Kristaps Porzingis offers advantage off bench for Celtics
The Celtics and Joe Mazzulla being able to bring in Porzingis off of the bench is a huge advantage. He plays the five for Boston and is a treat from behind the arc, meaning that the Mavericks have to worry about every player on the floor when it comes to them shooting from long range.
That is the Celtics' bread and butter, and it will be hard for Dallas to beat that squad the required four out of five times now that the series is 2-0.
There is a saying that a series is not over until a home team loses a game, but that does not mean that the Mavericks are in an enviable position. There will undoubtedly be a lot of desperation for Dallas in Game 3, and Boston could use Porzingis' efforts on the court to try to take a 3-0 lead.
Follow Us
Subscribe