Kristaps Porzingis returned with a huge game for the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals
BOSTON -- Considering it was Game 1 of the NBA Finals, there was a whole lot of concern about Kristaps Porzingis in his first game back after missing nearly six weeks with a calf strain.
Would he be rusty? Will he still have the same bounce in his step? Is there a risk that he could re-injure his calf?
Kristaps Porzingis did not disappoint
All were very reasonable concerns, but Porzingis quickly eased any anxiety after he checked in five minutes into the game. He didn't start for just the second time in his career, but that didn't matter for Porzingis.
The ovation he received when he checked at the 7:17 mark of the first quarter rocked the TD Garden, and then Porzingis nearly blew the roof off as he made play after play against the Mavericks.
Porzingis was an absolute force on both ends of the floor for Boston, as he sank threes on offense and sent back shots on defense. His first points came at the free-throw line, part of an 8-0 run by the Celtics, and then he sank a midrange jumper for his first bucket since Game 4 of the first round.
His second hoop was a beauty too, as the big fella showed off some fancy footwork and took Dereck Lively for a dance, ending the sequence with a dunk over the Mavs rookie. He followed it up with a block on the other end, and then sank his second jumper of the night.
Those six quick points were just the start for Porzingis. He sank a deep three to put Boston up by 14 points, and then blocked Kyrie Irving to set up a three by Sam Hauser. He led all Boston scorers after the first quarter with 11 points off 4-for-5 shooting.
The Celtics were up by one point when Porzingis entered, and they led by 17 at the end of the frame. The big man was a plus-9 in the opening quarter.
Porzingis played 12 minutes in the first half and went into the locker room with 18 points off 7-for-9 shooting. He ended up with 20 points over his 20-plus minutes of action, and played just 3:26 in the fourth quarter as the Celtics were able to close out the Mavericks.
His monster night was much more than those 20 points though. Porzingis' rim protection stymied Dallas, as he rejected three shots and altered several other attempts in the paint. He easily saved a dozen points for Boston on the defensive end.
Porzingis was reluctant to say that he was back to 100 percent when he spoke with reporters on Tuesday. That caused a good amount of the concern with the big man leading up to Thursday night's return. But no one is questioning anything about Porzingis now.
"Tonight was an affirmation"
"It was hard to say [I was healthy] because all these thoughts like went through my mind in that moment. Like, what do I answer? I want to say I'm fine, you know, but obviously I haven't played, I haven't been out there, I haven't had the feel of like am I a hundred percent, you know?" he said of his response on Tuesday. "But tonight was an affirmation to myself that I'm pretty good, you know? Maybe I'm not perfect, but I'm pretty good and I can play like this and I can definitely add to this team."
Porzingis was the last player to hit the court for pregame warmups, and he received a massive ovation when he took the floor. He said that was the first jolt that he felt on Thursday.
"I think obviously what helped me is just even from the walk out before the game and then getting on the court, getting that kind of support was unreal," he said. "The adrenaline was pumping through my veins and that definitely helped. Obviously it wasn't ideal that I was out for such a long time, but I did everything I could to prepare mentally for this moment coming back and it paid off and we got the job done tonight and had a good game and happy about the result."
As for coming off the bench for the first time since 2017 -- his second season in the NBA -- Porzingis had no issues with Joe Mazzulla's decision. The C's head coach floated the idea to him, and Porzingis was quick to accept.
"I said, 'Of course, let's do it.' And that's it. Wasn't no big deal and I trust Joe and he trusts me," said Porzingis.
"I just thought it gave us the best chance to win," Mazzulla said of the move. "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."
Game 1 was the first time that Porzingis has played in a playoff game outside of the first round in his career. He said the road to recovery was a lot longer than he anticipated, but now that he's back he isn't going to let this opportunity slip away. On Thursday night, he was one of the biggest difference-makers for the Celtics.
"It was amazing"
"It was amazing. Nobody's more proud and more excited for him than I am," said his good pal Jaylen Brown, who led the way for Boston with 22 points.
"He just went on a run where he just, he hit the three, hit the middy, then ran back, got the block at the rim in transition. He was just making play after play and it was just like, 'All right, he's back,'" added Brown. "There was no question about it then. We need some more that have going forward for the rest of this series."
Boston went 9-1 without Porzingis in the lineup over the last three rounds, but life is much easier for everyone on the Celtics when their 7-foot-3 Unicorn is on the floor.
"We're a good team when guys are down, but we're really, really special when we have everybody," said Jayson Tatum. "I said it earlier, how seamless his transition was after being away for six weeks, and coming into the game and having a first half like that, that was a big spark for us to start the game."
"I had the most fun"
Porzingis slowed down a bit in the second half, but he never thought about the injury while he was on the floor. He was just soaking in the fact that he was playing in the NBA Finals, and having a massive impact for his team.
"I was so in the moment and enjoying the moment and the crowd and everything, you know. It's kind of like a blur to me right now," he said. "I have to re-watch the game, what happened and stuff, but I was completely just in the game. That's the best feeling. I had the most fun and, yeah, and I hope to have more of those moments going forward."
