FOR A PLAYER left in injury recovery limbo, a nine-day layoff before the start of the NBA Finals might be just what the doctor ordered.
That鈥檚 the position of the Boston Celtics with injured forward Kristaps Porzingis. He last played in the first round against the Miami Heat and is recovering from what the team labeled a right calf strain. In granular terms, Mr. Porzingis is dealing with a strained soleus muscle, the same injury that knocked Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the Milwaukee Bucks鈥 lineup.
Mr. Porzingis. 28, said on May 4 that he was confident he could get back on the court in the playoffs and that the injury wasn鈥檛 as severe as he first feared.
Initially, Mr. Porzingis鈥 injury was thought to require a three- to four-week recovery. He did not play during the month of May, and the Celtics are on a seven-game winning streak and have gone 9-1 overall since.
He averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in the regular season.聽
Porzingis was injured in Game 4 of a first-round series against the Miami Heat.
Al Horford played a big role in the Eastern Conference finals and said he鈥檒l be ready to do anything the Celtics need if Porzingis isn鈥檛 back in the fold.
鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 whatever it takes. I really just want to win,鈥 Horford said.
Awaiting Porzingis in the Finals could be one of his three previous teams — the Mavericks. Dallas acquired Porzingis from the New York Knicks and traded him to the Washington Wizards in February 2022. He was acquired by the Celtics in June 2023.
The 28-year-old averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in the regular season. 鈥 Reuters
