The Boston Celtics are out of the playoffs after a very disappointing second-round exit at the hands of the New York Knicks. While the Celtics were heavy favorites coming into the series, a combination of injuries and poor late-game execution doomed them and eventually put their title defense to rest.

The biggest injury was obviously to Jayson Tatum, who went down with a severe Achilles injury at the end of Game 4. Even though the Celtics won Game 5 without their star, they were no match for the Knicks on the road in Game 6 with Tatum not in the lineup.

However, that wasn't the only injury that Boston was navigating during the playoffs. Kristaps Porzingis has been dealing with a nasty illness that has limited him significantly on the court. On Monday, Celtics president Brad Stevens gave a timeline for Porzingis to recover, via Daniel Donabedian of ClutchPoints.

Article Continues Below
More Boston Celtics News
Boston Celtics players Paul Pierce (34) , Rajon Rondo (9) , Kevin Garnett (5) and Ray Allen (20) await the start of overtime against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Ray Allen recalls Kevin Garnett Celtics confrontationRandall Barnes ·
image thumbnail
Mavericks trade proposal lands Jrue Holiday from CelticsJedd Pagaduan ·
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
RUMOR: Bill Simmons doesn’t think Jaylen Brown is ‘untouchable’Alex House ·
Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) shoots the ball against the Charlotte Hornets in the first half at TD Garden.
Celtics rumors: Boston’s Jrue Holiday trade asking price revealedTroy Finnegan ·
Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) controls the ball while New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) defends in the second half during game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.
Celtics rumors: Boston’s stance on trading Jrue Holiday after failed NBA title defenseDavid Yapkowitz ·
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looks to pass in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum issues 7-word message on Achilles injury rehabDaniel Donabedian ·

“The way it was described to me was post-viral syndrome,” Stevens said. “For whatever reason, he just didn't feel as good early in the Knicks series. … Our expectation is that the next couple weeks will do him good to be off, but he's gonna play for Latvia [in EuroBasket]. I'm sure it'll be well cleared up by then.”

EuroBasket starts at the end of August and runs into the middle of September with camps starting before games, so the hope would certainly be that Porzingis is back to feeling like himself by then and is good to go play for his country before getting back into it at full speed for the next NBA season.

The illness was clearly a big deterrent for Porzingis in the playoffs. Joe Mazzulla said at one point that Porzingis “couldn't breathe” and was pulled from a game as a result, and he played just 12 minutes in Game 5 and 11 minutes in Game 6 against the Knicks.

If Porzingis is back in Boston next season, he will have to be a reliable scorer for a team that will be missing Tatum's production likely for the entire season. Hopefully, he can leave this illness behind him this offseason and get back to his best.