It’s no surprise that Boston is in the NBA Finals this season. They were far and away the best team in the regular season at 64-18. The Celtics earned the #1 seed in the East playoffs and have breezed through with only two losses this postseason. Now, they find themselves in a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Boston hasn’t been fully healthy since the first round when they lost Kristaps Porzingis to a calf injury. The 28-year-old has missed the last 10 games of the 2024 postseason. Luckily, the Celtics have a strong roster and players have stepped up in Porzingis’ absence. NBA insider Shams Charania reported today that Porzingis is expected to be ready for Game 1 of the Finals barring a setback. Huge news for the Celtics.
How effective can Kristaps Porzingis be for the Celtics in the NBA Finals?
“He is expected to make his return from this calf injury in Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night” 💪@ShamsCharania with the latest on Kristaps Porzingis pic.twitter.com/lJjmGcYNka
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 4, 2024
Kristaps Porzingis has had roughly five and a half weeks to rest and rehab his ankle in hopes of returning to Boston. According to Shams Charania, that tie has finally come. This may have been Boston’s plan all along. Make the NBA Finals and hope that Porzingis is healthy enough to return. Charania noted that Porzingis has played in two five-on-five scrimmages in the last three days. There’s been no setbacks after those scrimmages. Indicating that the one-time all-star is ready to return.
The question is, just how effective is Porzingis going to be? Shams Charania reported that Porzingis could see limited minutes to start depending on how his body feels. Al Horford has done just fine for the Celtics while Porzingis has been out. In his four games played this postseason, Porzingis is averaging (12.3) points, (5.0) rebounds, (1.8) assists, (1.3) steals, and (1.5) blocks. His scoring numbers were down compared to the regular season but Porzingis was still helping the team win. Boston went 3-1 in the four games he played.
Kristaps Porzingis is expected to return for Game 1 of the NBA Finals barring setback, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/iV3vfXjFC7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 4, 2024
Head coach Joe Mazzulla has had to go deep into his bench this postseason. He’s used players like Xavier Tillman and Oshane Brissett to fill minutes for the team. Center Luke Kornet is out with a hand injury he suffered this postseason. That left Al Horford playing more minutes than the Celtis would have liked. Still, Boston has a record of 14-2 this postseason and their starting center is expected to return for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. It’s Boston’s series to lose.
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