The Boston Celtics‘ center, Kristaps Porzingis, has torn his medial reticulum and experienced dislocation and rupture of the posterior tendon in his left leg. This injury was announced on Tuesday.
Porzingis, aged 28, sustained this injury in the third quarter at 3:27 minutes during Game 2. This injury is separate from the one on his right leg that kept him out of most of the NBA playoffs.
The team has classified this injury as rare, and Porzingis’ availability for the remainder of the NBA Finals will be assessed on a day-to-day basis.
Porzingis, when asked about playing through the injury, bravely declared, “I will die on the court if necessary.” The Celtics are approaching this injury with seriousness.
Coach Joe Mazulla acknowledged the severity of the injury and emphasized that Porzingis’ availability will be determined by the Celtics’ medical team. Porzingis will not have the final say on his playing status.
Mazulla added, “Porzingis is doing everything in his power to get back on the court.”
Porzingis was seen walking shortly after the injury news broke on Tuesday.
If Porzingis is unable to play, it will be a significant setback for the Celtics, who have been missing him since Game 4 of the first-round playoffs. His return in the NBA Finals had been remarkable, with 20 points and six rebounds in just 20 minutes.
Porzingis continued to impress in the second game, scoring 12 points off the bench in 23 minutes, along with four rebounds and two blocked shots.
Although the Celtics have a 30-5 record this year (regular season and playoffs combined), the Mavericks have definitely felt Porzingis’ impact in the games.
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Game 3 between the Celtics and Mavericks is scheduled for Wednesday at 5:30 PM PT. This will be the first of two games in Dallas before the series returns to Boston for Game 5 if needed.
Updates on Porzingis’ condition are expected in the next 24 hours. His availability for Game 3 is crucial, especially since the Mavericks need to secure a win in this game to avoid falling into an 0-3 playoff deficit from which they have never recovered.