Joe Mazzulla provides positive update on Porzingis’ rehabilitation originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
UPDATE (Wednesday, May 29 at 1:01 PM ET: Kristaps Porzingis posted on X on Wednesday in Latvian.
Paldies have a vision that can provide a good visa for a few months.
Pavisam drīz jau būšu atpakaļ irindā. Tiekamies finālos ☘️ a pēctam arēnā ar savējiem 🇱🇻🙌— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) May 29, 2024
Here is the Google translation of the tweet from Latvian to English:
“Thank you to everyone who supported and sympathized throughout the season. I will be back in line soon. See you in the final ☘️ and then in the arena with your own 🙌”
–End update–
The Boston Celtics have already punched their ticket to the 2024 NBA Finals, and one of the biggest question marks surrounding the Eastern Conference champions’ participation in that bracket is the status of injured center Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis hasn’t played for the Celtics since suffering a right calf strain in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat.
Will we see Porzingis in Game 1 of the Finals at TD Garden on Thursday, June 6?
“I’m not sure. I don’t know yet,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Wednesday during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub show Zolak and Bertrand.
“I do know he has stepped it up a bit on the field. Like I said, he works very, very hard. There have been a few shootarounds where he hasn’t done anything with the team but has been in a 1-on-1 setting, upping the intensity level. He keeps getting better.”
Porzingis increasing the intensity of his rehab seems like an encouraging sign.
The Celtics have won nine of their 10 games without Porzingis in the 2024 playoffs. That said, getting him back for the Finals would still be a huge boost for this team.
Porzingis is not only a quality scorer, he is also a very good rebounder and a strong interior defender. Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in the regular season.
The NBA Finals matchup isn’t official yet, but the Dallas Mavericks have a great chance to join the Celtics. The Mavs have a 3-1 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Porzingis played for Dallas from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
