The Celtics are rolling, and there’s a chance Boston could kick into an even higher gear once the NBA Finals begin.
Kristaps Porzingis has a chance to make his return to game action on the championship stage. The versatile big man hasn’t played since April 29 when he sustained a calf injury in Miami. Boston’s play didn’t suffer when Porzingis was moved to the bench, as Joe Mazzulla’s side won nine of 10 games after the injury and swept the Eastern Conference finals.
Of course, the Celtics would much rather have Porzingis on the court and he would play a vital role against either the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves if healthy. One day after Boston bounced the Indiana Pacers, NBA insider Shams Charania shared the latest on Porzingis as the Celtics await the June 6 start of the Finals.
“There’s definitely hope. There’s definitely optimism,” Charania said Tuesday on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.” “There are still some hurdles, I’m told, that he has to clear before he can play in Game 1 of the Finals. Of course, there’s hope this next week-plus will give him the time that he needs to ramp up and get ready for that Game 1 next Thursday against likely the Mavericks.
“They’re going to need him, and that’s what the Celtics over the last few weeks have been stressing. Yes, we’d love to get him back on the floor and he wants to play as soon as possible. With these calf strains, especially the non-contact calf strain Kristaps Porzingis had — very similar to the one Giannis (Antetokounmpo) had. Giannis said four weeks after the injury that he was just starting to run at 40-50%. So, Porzingis has to make sure he’s 100% healthy. This could, of course, lead to worse injuries if you do end up getting back out on the floor sooner than you’re supposed to. There’s obviously hope the next week and a half he can ramp up and get ready.”
Boston appears to be erring on the side of caution with Porzingis. Previous reports indicated the 28-year-old could return in the East finals, but the Celtics were wise to give him extra rest in a series of which they had full control. So when the Finals opener rolls around, Porzingis will have had five-plus weeks of recovery under his belt.
The Celtics might have that date circled for Porzingis’ return, too. Prior to Monday’s clincher in Indiana, Payton Pritchard shared his expectation for his 7-foot-2 teammate to “be ready shortly.”
