He is the missing piece, mavs needs to get him back in the team.
Kristaps Porzingis, the center for the Boston Celtics, wanted to make one thing very plain on the eve of Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
With what they refer to as a “rare injury,” Porzingis’s left leg’s posterior tibialis tendon dislocation due to a ruptured medial retinaculum, the Celtics have listed him as questionable for Game 3. But Porzingis intends to be on the court when Game 3 of this best-of-seven series against the Dallas Mavericks kicks off at American Airlines Center on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., unless something completely unusual happens before then.
After Sunday’s 105-98 triumph, Porzingis, who was hurt in the second half of the game, declared he would die on the floor if he had to play in Game 3.
Prior to practice on Tuesday, Porzingis responded, “Yeah, I’m living by those words,” when asked if those words still applied. Naturally.
Porzingis was asked, “You literally would die on the court?” “I hope not,” he remarked. “Yeah, but to win if it comes down to that.”
Porzingis recalled the specific play from his injury, stating that it was a conversation with Mavs center Dereck Lively II.
“My goal was to grab a rebound near the free throw line,” he declared. After we banged knees and I kind of (was) shoved in Lively’s back, something happened. After that, I just continued playing for a bit. Towards the end, my movement was obviously a little less fluid.
It’s a somewhat arbitrary circumstance. I had an emotion, and I have to deal with it now. As we previously stated, things will be day-to-day and I’ll check in with you tomorrow. Naturally, I’m going to do every effort to be present tomorrow; the rest is up to us.
The Celtics are leading this best-of-seven series, 2-0, and if Porzingis plays in Game 3, it will be his first time playing in the AAC since the Mavericks traded him to the Washington Wizards on February 10, 2022. Porzingis missed the Wizards’ Jan. 24, 2023, visit to the AAC against the Mavericks due to an ankle ailment.
Additionally, Porzingis missed the Celtics’ lone game in Dallas this season on January 22 due to soreness in his right knee after Washington traded him to Boston on June 23 of the previous year.
As a previous player with the Mavs, Porzingis quipped that he might not have played a game in AAC because of “some black magic.”
“I wasn’t playing that game the first time I came back (to Dallas on January 24, 2023)” he declared. “I was welcomed here with great warmth, and I was with Washington. They also made a tribute film, which was really kind and unexpected for me.
“I believe that the company and the internal staff valued my time here, which was really pleasant. It goes without saying that I don’t feel at all negative about this area. It didn’t work out, even though I adore the fans and this place. Definitely not looking for a resurgence like I experienced in New York. We’ll see, though, tomorrow.
When asked if he thought he would be treated similarly to how former Celtic and current Mavs guard Kyrie Irving was treated during Games 1 and 2 in Boston—where Irving was jeered every time he touched the ball and was subjected to foul language from the crowd—Porzingis replied that he would be shocked if he experienced that kind of treatment in the AAC.
But who knows? Porzingis posed a rhetorical question. It’s the Finals, folks. Perhaps they will boo me in an attempt to hurt me.
With a strained right calf that has kept him out of action since April 29, Porzingis had a noticeable impact in Game 1 of this series. The complexion of the game, the flow of the contest, and everything else completely changed in favor of the Celtics shortly after he entered the game with 7:17 remaining in the first quarter.
