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New York Knicks fans surely didn’t appreciate his performance Wednesday, but Kristaps Porziņģis was feeling reflective after helping lead the Boston Celtics to a 108-104 victory over his former team.
“I miss this place, and I wish nothing but the best for this organization” he told reporters when talking about Madison Square Garden and New York:
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“I miss this place and I wish nothing but the best for this organization.”
– Kristaps Porzingis
(via @NBCSBoston) pic.twitter.com/2Y8IGNIMXx
Porziņģis was expected to be a foundational piece for the Knicks after they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft, and he looked the part at times. However, injuries prevented him from fully living up to expectations, and New York ended up trading him to the Dallas Mavericks in January 2019.
The move happened during a season when the big man was sidelined because of a torn ACL, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported at the time that the New York front office believed he wanted to be traded following a meeting.
Health remained the biggest question mark when he was with the Mavericks and Washington Wizards, as he played 43 games in 2020-21, 34 games in 2021-22 and 17 games in 2021-22.
Boston took a chance by trading for him this offseason in a move that will work out if Wednesday’s season opener was any indication.
Porziņģis finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and four blocks behind 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range. The Madison Square Garden crowd jeered him at times, but it didn’t stop him from making six clutch free throws and a three-pointer in the final three minutes as the Celtics came back to take the lead and secure the win.
A healthy Porziņģis playing alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday is a scary thought for the rest of the Eastern Conference, and the Knicks got a firsthand look at how dangerous the 28-year-old can be in this lineup.
Perhaps they will get a similar look in the postseason.
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