Apparently for the previous week, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla knew that star heart Kristaps Porzingis could be making his season debut on Monday towards the Los Angeles Clippers.
As for the remainder of us, we solely discovered about eight hours earlier than tipoff, when Celtics Wire’s Cameron Tabatabaie broke the information.
Porzingis hadn’t performed since Sport 5 of the NBA Finals, earlier than suiting up towards the Clippers. He had been working his manner again from a torn medial retinaculum permitting dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, all through the summer season and opening months of this season.
“It has been killing me inside not to have the ability to be on the market, however it was definitely worth the wait,” he advised NBC Boston’s Abby Chin in his walk-off interview after the win.
Many had anticipated him to return nearer to Christmas Day, however it was clear very early on that it wouldn’t take that lengthy, in keeping with Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens.
“I don’t assume we realized it till we actually received into camp and you then see him work,” stated Stevens on Monday’s NBC Sports activities Boston broadcast. “After we noticed him in Abu Dhabi, the best way he was transferring and the best way he felt, it was fairly apparent he was going to be on the entrance finish of that timeline.”
Stevens additionally revealed that KP had scrimmaged in Washington final Thursday, after practising with the Maine Celtics earlier within the week.
These two periods clearly helped him prepare, as a result of he slot in with the Cs seamlessly.
“It felt like nothing like simply ‘increase, I’m again within the within the lineup,’” he stated. “I believe we already, actually, it was already a reasonably easy transition final season, after I began taking part in for the primary time after which as soon as we discovered a bit of little bit of rhythm… it was very pure to me for me to be again out within the within the beginning lineup.”
The large man completed the night time with 16 factors, six rebounds, and a pair of blocks, whereas capturing 6-12 from the sphere in his season debut.
“I believed he performed nicely,” stated Joe Mazzulla. “Simply be capable of get again to a few of our defensive versatility. Clearly, a bit of little bit of rim safety, a bit of bit extra physicality on the ball, as a result of it was again there, and so I believed he introduced that offensively. Simply actually helped our spacing. So, it was good to get him again.”
It was clear that Boston wished to get him concerned proper from the opening tip. They featured Porzingis within the offense with some early pick-and-pop actions. He solely sank one of many 4 triples that he took, however not one of the pictures had been compelled and all got here as clear appears. After about seven minutes of play, he took a relaxation earlier than re-entering the sport within the second quarter.
This was the primary time the place he REALLY regarded like himself, to not say that he regarded misplaced or something, it simply takes a bit to get snug once more on the market.
“However, I imply, clearly the primary wind is fairly loopy,” Porzingis defined. “You understand, lungs burning, legs burning every little thing.”
He showcased his shot-blocking potential with a loud block on former Windfall School star Kris Dunn, which compelled a 24-second violation.
A couple of possessions later, we received our first “Cookies and Cream” connection of the season as KP threw down an enormous alley-oop slam off of a lob from Jaylen Brown, although, in keeping with him, his legs had been drained.
“Even on the couple of lobs. Like, JB threw me a lob, Payton threw me lob, like, each of them I had flat tires, like loopy. Like, didn’t stand up in any respect.”
Despite the fact that KP’s tires had been flat, his presence was nonetheless appreciated. Brown pointed to his presence on protection as an actual difference-maker.
“We’re a unique workforce with KP on the market defensively and defending the room, and protection is essential for us. You understand, I believe we form of took our foot off of fuel within the third quarter, and we’ll work on that. However once we’re locked in taking part in protection, like how we began the sport, after which that second quarter, it’s gonna be robust for groups, so we simply received to maintain that mentality, and that’s what I wish to see from guys. I wish to see KP making an affect on protection.”
Regardless of the Cs scoring a whopping 51 factors within the second quarter, they struggled to begin the second half. Boston’s 29-point lead was reduce to 18 with about seven minutes remaining within the body. Porzingis helped to climate the continued storm with six fast factors, displaying the added offensive punch that Mazzulla talked about. He first showcased his post-game, then received to the free throw line, and eventually capped the sequence with a thunderous dunk.
Despite the fact that the stakes weren’t excessive right here, it was nice to see Kristaps’ worth on full show throughout a tense stretch for the workforce. It’s robust to fathom how a workforce that was 14-3 earlier than Porzingis’ return can re-unlock an entire new stage of play, however it was so evident on this one.
