Scal: ‘No way’ Porzingis is in pain if he’s ready to play originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Kristaps Porzingis’ health is between the keys to the Boston Celtics’ victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. So when the C is the big man hesitated when asked if he is feeling 100 percent Coming into the series, it set off some alarm bells.
Porzingis has not played since suffering a strained right calf in Game 4 of the Celtics’ first-round series against the Miami Heat. He is cleared to return for Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night, but his cautious optimism has some worried that his calf may not be completely healed.
If you ask 2008 C champion/analyst Brian Scalabrine, there’s no need to worry about Porzingis’ status.
“There’s no way he’s going to be in pain because you don’t play when your calf is in pain,” Scalabrine told NBC Sports Boston. Live in the finals Special. “So when he takes a break and says, ‘I’m 100 percent,’ there’s also no way of knowing if you’re 100 percent until you go out there and play, and you’ve been off for 40 days. apprehensive about making these statements about your health. He doesn’t know, and you don’t know until you get there.
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Fellow 2008 champion Eddie House agreed with Scal’s assessment of the situation, adding that the Celtics did everything they could to get their prized offseason addition back into shape.
“Yes, that is a fact,” House said in response to Scalabrine. “Especially calves, groin, hamstrings, hip flexors, things like that. You feel good until you don’t feel good if you’re not 100 percent. And the only thing about that is when we talk about Kristaps Porzingis and being off for 40 days. If you don’t get it right in 40 days, you won’t get it right in 10 days. You know what I mean? So either he’s right or he’s not right.
“But I think they did everything they could to prepare him to be ready for this moment. And if he gets there and he’s not ready, it’s not because they haven’t prepared. at the end of the day, but I think they’re doing everything they can to test this. Let’s not sit here and act like he’s suddenly thrown into the fire. They’re playing 3 on 3. I’ve been doing all the little things and the change of direction, the lateral movements to test that calf, the vertical jump up and down, everything you could be doing to stop the closeouts, to see if he is ready. .”
A healthy Porzingis is the X-factor for Boston vs. Dallas. If he’s 100 percent, he’ll give the Celtics an answer in the paint against the Mavs’ frontcourt tandem of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Offensively, he can wreak havoc on Dallas defenders in the high post and beyond the arc.
Porzingis’ performance in the first quarter of Game 1 could set the tone for the rest of the series. If he picks up where he left off, the Mavs will have their hands full trying to keep up with the heavy favorites.
Kickoff for Game 1 is scheduled for 8:30 pm ET on Thursday at TD Garden. Coverage begins on NBC Sports Boston with Celtics pregame live at 7 o’clock in the evening
