With an 8-2 record, the Boston Celtics have been the most dominant team in the NBA Playoffs. And as they prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics are going to be the overwhelming favorite to come out of the East and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. However, if the Celtics plan on doing so, whether that’s against the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers, they may have to do so without Kristaps Porzingis.
After suffering a calf injury in Game 4 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, the recent injury update has Kristaps missing at least Games 1 and 2 of the conference finals. And there’s a chance he could miss more than that too. Despite that update, there is hope that Kristaps could return later in the conference finals, it may be the safer play for the Celtics to keep him sidelined until the NBA Finals.
Especially if the Celtics are going to be matching up with a banged-up Knicks team or an inferior team (from a talent perspective) such as the Pacers. Either way, it’s probably a safe bet that we won’t see Kristaps back in the lineup for the Celtics until late in the conference finals (if it even gets that far) or at the start of the NBA Finals.
Of course, one other concern that the Celtics could have is integrating a rusty Kristaps back into the lineup on the NBA’s biggest stage. That could end up spelling a disaster for Boston. Without knowing how rusty Kristaps may or may not be, the Celtics could find themselves in a difficult spot with his potential return.
