Kristaps Porzingis couldn’t have asked for a better return from a six-week layoff on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The 7-foot-3 center came off the bench in his first action since suffering a calf strain on April 29 and erupted with 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench in Boston’s 107-89 win. The performance came as a bit of a shock after Porzingis spoke with some uncertainty about his play in the days leading up to his return. However, any trepidation on that front quickly faded just minutes into one of his best all around outings of the season.
“It’s hard to say because like all these thoughts like went through my mind in that moment,” Porzingis said. “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? But (Thursday night) was an affirmation to myself, no, 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.”
Game 1 marked just the second time in his career that Porzingis came off the bench in eight seasons. Yet, it was a decision that he completely accepted given the circumstances.
“From day one I came here and I said like I’ll do whatever it takes to help this team win,” Porzingis said. “I think it was -- this situation, you know, it made sense. I didn’t care. I didn’t care. I knew I could prepare to come off the bench, which is something different for me, and that’s what I did and stepped into that role and embraced it and had a good game.”
The blowout win for the Celtics in Game 1 did help keep the minutes down both for Porzingis (21) and Al Horford (30), who remained in the starting center spot. However, with Porzingis showing no signs of weakness with his calf in the Finals opener, it’s fair to wonder whether he should be making his return back to the starting five in Game 2.
Boston played their best basketball in Game 1 with Porzingis on the court in the first half. The team could keep his minutes at a reasonable number and still benefit from the additional offense and rim protection against the Mavericks starting five.
Still, it’s fair to wonder whether Joe Mazzulla will hesitate to make any changes to the starting group in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, the longest postseason streak for the team in franchise history. Horford (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks) had a solid Game 1 as well so there’s not necessarily a need to reduce his minutes either.
Ultimately, the answer will likely fall on just exactly how the Celtics saw Porzingis’ Game 1 performance. There’s little doubt now about his fitness or the state of his calf. If the team wants to keep his minutes down or simply not rock the boat, keeping him off the bench in Game 2 will be the easy call. If Porzingis is ready for a heavier load though, there’s a case to be made for bringing back the team’s default starting five against a hungry Mavericks squad in Game 2.
