As you know, Porzingis got injured in the fourth match of the first round of the “play off” against Miami “Heat”. The Latvian basketball player strained the calf muscle of his right leg, which could prevent him from participating in the second round of the playoffs.
The “Celtics” started the second round of the NBA playoffs convincingly, winning the first game of the series at home with a score of 120:95 (40:34, 19:15, 33:28, 28:18) over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Porzingis did not play on the field on Tuesday, but the “Celtics” head coach admitted even before the game that he was optimistic about the Latvian’s recovery.
“It’s definitely better than we expected,” Mazulla told radio station WBZ before the game. “I don’t know when exactly he could return to the field, but I know his mentality – he works hard to be in the lineup as soon as possible.”
As the “Celtics” coach pointed out, while Porzingis is not yet ready to help the team, veteran Al Horford will continue to play in his place.
In the regular championship, Porzingis played 57 games this season, averaging 20.1 points per game, 7.6 steals, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocked shots. Horford, on the other hand, averaged 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 65 games.
The “Celtics” were the best team in the regular season with a record of 64-18, but in the first round of the playoffs they defeated the Miami “Heat” 4-1.
The Latvian “play off” averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and blocked 1.5 opponents’ shots in four incomplete matches. Horford’s stats in six playoff games this season are 7.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.2 blocks.
The second game of the series against the Cleveland team will take place there in Boston on Thursday, but then the next two matches on May 11 and 13 will take place at the “Cavaliers” field.
In the previous season, the Denver “Nuggets” defeated the Miami “Heat” 4-1 in the final series and won the NBA championship for the first time in history.
