Celtics expected to take 'cautious approach' to Porzingis return originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If you believe the Boston Celtics should defeat the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and advance to their second NBA Finals in three years, there's one storyline you're probably watching closely. The question is, when will Kristaps Porzingis return?
The 7-foot-2 big man has been sidelined since April 29 after injuring his right calf in Game 4 of Boston's first-round win over the Miami Heat. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said Porzingis is expected to miss Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Finals, but is “optimistic” he can return “at some point in the series” unless something goes wrong. has been done.
So how should the Celtics deal with a rehabbing big man? If the Celtics win Games 1 and 2 at TD Garden, should Porzingis be sidelined even if he is technically fit? Should he be brought back closer to the series, even if he's not 100 percent?
Celtics insider Chris Forsberg believes Porzingis is worth playing at some point in the series, at least in the tough NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, even if the C's win big. In order to have him participate in some kind of match in advance. The Minnesota Timberwolves have two elite big men.
“So it's balanced, right?” Forsberg said Monday on NBC Sports Boston. Albella early edition, As seen in the video player above. “If he says he's healthy enough to play, I'd probably like to see him at the end of the series, if anything other than shake off the rust and get ready (for the NBA Finals). If not, maybe you do. Good luck moving on.
“Because you can't just expect to play against the likes of (Wolves big men Rudy) Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns — it's very presumptuous of me to be thinking about the Finals there. I'd like to see him shake the rust on that occasion. ”
But Forsberg believes the Celtics won't bring Porzingis back until he's fully ready, especially given Boston's current opponent: The Pacers love to push the pace, and in the postseason. They are an energetic team that boasts the number one scoring rate of 114.2. Points per game.
“This is a team that wants to go up and down against this team, but I don't think a player whose calf is less than 100 percent should try to go up and down with the Pacers,” Forsberg added. “So I think they trade carefully and if your talent wins, you don’t even have to cross that bridge.”
The ideal scenario for the Celtics would be to take a commanding series lead, get Porzingis back in the game and prepare for the NBA Finals. However, the Pacers have played close games against the C's this season, winning two of the teams' five matchups, and will do everything they can to extend the series.
Game 1 at TD Garden is scheduled for Tuesday night at 8pm ET against NBC Sports Boston. Celtics pregame live It starts at 7pm ET.
