Celtics Rumors: Surgery Required For Kristaps Porzingis After NBA Finals
BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis missed nearly 40 days of postseason action for the Celtics and mustered up the strength to partake in the NBA Finals, but that risk came at a price.
The 28-year-old reportedly revealed that surgery and a multi-month recovery process would be necessary, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, after the Celtics defeated the Mavericks, 106-88, to seize their franchise’s 18th title.
Porzingis suffered what was described as a rare leg injury in Game 2 of the Finals against the Mavericks with a torn medial retinaculum which caused the dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon. It wasn’t until Monday night’s Game 5 clincher that Porzingis returned to score five points in 16 minutes off the bench, just in time to take the floor before TD Garden’s parquet was plastered with green and white confetti.
“From day one when I came in, my mindset was I’m going to give everything to this team and this city to try to win a championship here because I knew these guys have already been so close,” Porzingis said. “… Tonight was the night. I was like, listen, I’m going to give it everything I have. And, yeah, I’m just super happy to be a part of this and give something to the team, and I’m super thankful for the support I’ve gotten from the fans.”
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Boston’s front office, too, paid a price this offseason, most notably sacrificing longtime team leader Marcus Smart in a three-team trade to acquire Porzingis from the Wizards. The Celtics knew Robert Williams III, who suffered a season-ending injury with the Trail Blazers wasn’t reliable, and soon enough, Porzingis proved to be the missing frontcourt piece for Boston.
He averaged 20.1 points on a career-high 51.6% shooting from the field, spaced the floor, and posed a dominant interior threat defensively. Once the Finals began and Porzingis regained the strength to retake the floor, the 7-footer instantly provided a boost by scoring 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench in Game 1, giving Dallas more problems than it could handle.
Yet, the offseason could be a long, patient one for Porzingis, alleviated a bit by finally becoming an NBA champion.
“Right now I’m just so in the moment and enjoying this,” Porzingis added. “Man, this team, like, you know, it’s just a special team and, everybody gave whatever they could for us to get here. And right now, we are just so in the moment.”