The Celtics may have to win a championship without Kristaps Porzingis
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis.
Kristaps Porzingis is listed as questionable heading into Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday. The Boston Celtics big man has struggled with injuries throughout the postseason. He is currently dealing with a rare leg injury known as a posterior tibialis dislocation.
Xavier Tillman has stepped up in Porzingis' absence. During a practice-day news conference, Tillman shed some light on his teammate's struggle to be ready for a potential closeout game on Monday.
“I mean, we’ll see,” Tillman said. “Obviously, like (the team) said, it’s a rare leg injury, so obviously, if he’s going through excruciating pain where he can’t be his best, it might not be worth it... When we go through our practice, he’s doing some stuff, but you can still tell that he’s very uncomfortable. So we don’t want to put him in any type of situation that could really, really hurt him.”
The Celtics have significant depth at the center position. Al Horford and Tillman have both stepped up into bigger roles. Boston has to win one more game to end the series and be crowned NBA champions.
However, the job is undoubtedly more difficult without Porzingis. The big man showed his game-changing abilities in the first game of the series, returning from a right soleus strain to score 20 points, grab six rebounds and block three shots on 61.5 percent shooting.
Boston is 10-2 in the postseason without Porzingis. It knows how to win without him. Nevertheless, things are easier with him on the floor. His perimeter shooting opens up new avenues for his teammates to attack. His 7-foot-2 frame is an elite shot deterrent around the rim.
When Porzingis is out of the rotation, Joe Mazzulla's team must work harder on both sides of the court. Nevertheless, the Celtics will want to close out their series against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
If they secure a win at home, they will be raising a championship banner into the rafters. Porzingis has helped the Celtics become a dominant team this season. However, they've proved they can win without him.
Unfortunately for Porzingis, a fourth and final victory is likely what will happen on Monday.
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