After a long break off-court, Boston Celtics‘ Center Kristaps Porzingis was finally back. But his return might be short-lived. The latest report by the Celtics brought some horrible news for fans. The team announced today that their star player has sustained a serious injury that is likely to affect his availability for the game.
According to the official report, Porzingis suffered a tear in the medial retinaculum, a tendon of the knee, that resulted in the dislocation of the posterior tibialis, a tendon located in the feet, in his left leg. In simpler terms, he might not be walking for some time. The injury occurred at 3:27 of the third quarter of Game 2 and is unrelated to his previous right calf injury that had kept him on the bench.
The Celtics just announced Kristaps Porzingis is day-to-day with a left leg injury. He also appeared to tweak his right leg in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/ETjPWm5gtm
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 11, 2024
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Head coach Joe Mazzulla addressed the situation and reassured everyone that the player was doing “anything and everything” he could to show up for Game 3. He said, “It’s a serious injury. At the end of the day, the medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands.”
“It’s a serious injury. At the end of the day, the medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands.”
Joe Mazzulla on Porziņģis’ day-to-day status pic.twitter.com/cBTfIMdoPd
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 11, 2024
Porzingis is still not losing hope. According to a journalist, Porzingis said that he’ll do “everything” to be out there tomorrow, claiming “nothing is going to stop me unless I’m told I’m not allowed to play.” So far, it’s not looking good for the player. The medical team would not let him jeopardize his health. Does Porzingis’ absence endanger the Celtics’ 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks?
Dallas has been struggling against Boston. They lost with an 18 point difference in Game 1 and a 7 point difference in Game 2. Mavs star Kyrie Irving has been performing exceptionally poorly. Will the Mavs be able able to utilise Porzingis’ absence in their favour?
Will Game 3 see a come back from Kyrie Irving?
Kyrie Irving’s performance against the Boston Celtics has been devastating. Game 1 saw a contribution of only 12 points, 3 rebounds and two assists from him. Game 2 was not any better; 16 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists. Considering his average of 21.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in the 2023-34 post-season, his current performance is unfortunate.
The Mavs are just not able to score, and Luka Doncic agrees. In an interview, he said, “Our defense, has not been bad. We just can’t really score. That’s our main problem right now. I think we’re getting some great looks & like I said we have confidence everybody can make a shot that’s shooting the ball on our team so we just gotta keep believing it.” Doncic is the team’s only saving grace right now. For what it’s worth, his teammate Irving is deeply apologetic about his recent performance.
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Kyrie admitted to apologising to Luka for not showing up for the team. “It started w/ me, just telling my hermano I gotta play better for him, alongside him, in order for us to accomplish our goal… just letting him know it’s my fault, taking accountability for not playing particularly well.”
On the other hand, the Celtics have been cruising even before Porzingis rejoined them. Will his absence truly make a a noticeable dent? And if it does, will the Mavs be able to capitalize on this opportunity? Only time can tell.
Until then, check out what Shaq’s former manager has to say about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
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