Does Porzingis’ Injury End the Celtics’ Championship Hopes?
The Celtics’ Big Man Will Be Reevaluated Next Week After Spraining His Right Calf in Game 4 Against the Heat
Hoping for a Speedy Recovery
The Boston Celtics were able to dispatch the Miami Heat in Game 5 in the first round of the NBA playoffs but not every team is going to be without their star player as Jimmy Butler didn’t play a single game in the series. The Celtics will play the winner of the Cavaliers-Magic series but it’s looking like they’ll be without a key player.
Kristaps Porzingis actually rolled his ankle and was already limping a couple possessions before his non-contact injury. Here’s the sequence: pic.twitter.com/hP6SBlzKok
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) April 30, 2024
The Unicorn’s Hurt
According to recent NBA news, big man Kristaps Porzingis is going to miss an extended period due to a calf injury.
“I don’t know the specifics of it; they use a lot of fancy words. But I do know it will be re-evaluated next week,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand of the NBA rumors surrounding Porzingis. “We’ll see how he responds to the treatment and how much better he gets here in the first week. That’s kind of the goal, to rehab it like crazy over the next week and see where we’re at from there.”
Jaylen Brown said Kristaps Porzingis has been smiling, but that he knows it hurts him not to be with the team:
“I just told him, ‘we’re going to hold it down. Just get your recovery in, get back healthy, and we’re not going to miss a beat when you come back.”
(Via @CelticsCLNS) pic.twitter.com/36yPmrFa9e
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 2, 2024
Porzingis has missed a lot of NBA games due to injuries throughout his career. It’s been very rare that he’s been able to stay healthy. The Cavaliers have great size so if they advance, they could give the Celtics a lot of trouble if they don’t get Porzingis back soon.
Derrick White said he has talked to Kristaps Porzingis:
“He’s in good spirits. Obviously, disappointed — nobody wants to get hurt, especially at this time… he’s an incredibly hard worker, he’s going to do everything he can to get back with us as quick as we can.” pic.twitter.com/JiQxwInYVq
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 1, 2024
Can Celtics Win Title Without Porzingis?
The Celtics sacrificed a lot of depth to add Porzingis and Jrue Holiday this offseason. Losing one of them puts the team in a tough situation. They dominated the Heat in Game 5 without Porzingis but Miami had the worst roster in the playoffs with Butler being hurt.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown haven’t been able to get the team over the hump in the past but the fact that they don’t have to deal with Jimmy Butler will make their path easier. It’s easy to see the Celtics still reaching the NBA Finals without Porzingis.
Kristaps Porzingis is expected to make a return if the Celtics make the Eastern Conference Finals. @ChrisBHaynes provides an update from Game 5: pic.twitter.com/0iGOGABOMo
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 1, 2024
The Eastern Conference is really bad this year and it’s hard to see any team being close to the Celtics. However, I don’t know how this team could compete with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals without Porzingis. They’ll need him healthy if they’re going to have a chance.
