JUST IIN: Kristaps Porzingis’ injury is “better than we thought,” according to Joe Mazzulla.

In the fourth game of the Boston Celtics’ five-game playoff series against the Miami Heat, Kristaps Porzingis pulled his right soleus. It wasn’t a contact wound.

 

Concerns about Porzingis’ ability to return to the court in time for the NBA Finals were understandable given his significance to the Celtics team and their quest for a championship.

However, Joe Mazzulla recently stated that Porzingis’ injury wasn’t as serious as initially believed in an interview with Zolak & Bertrand.

Indeed, Mazzulla remarked, “It’s definitely better than we thought.” “The one thing about KP is that, while I’m not sure of his schedule, I am aware of his mindset. He puts a lot of effort into returning as soon as possible. And he works so hard at taking care of himself. He’s getting a little better at walking. He goes in there every day and does everything it takes to try to return as soon as possible. Thus, I’m grateful for it.

The Celtics are without their best floor protector and rim protector in Porzingis. But according to Mazzulla, the Celtics have been ready for this moment all regular season long. Al Horford and Porzingis would regularly be seated on the other side of a back-to-back.

This season, Horford was placed in a bench role for the first time in his career. Because of this, Mazzulla thinks that Horford can confidently assume a starting role because to Boston’s resting philosophy and his reduced season

mileage.

“I believe we’ve achieved that during the season by preventing Al from playing in back-to-back games and restricting his playing time. Al, in my opinion, takes excellent care of himself. He’s prepared for circumstances such as these. The postseason is on for him. I believe that Al’s love of being dependable is one of his best qualities.

The narrative of Erik Spoelstra, who began his career in a Miami Heat video room without a window and worked his way up to head coach, is probably familiar to you. In all four of the main American sports, he was the first Asian American coach. Along with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James, he won back-to-back rings.

The Celtics require Porzingis to return to the starting lineup even though Horford is prepared to take on a larger role. He modifies the team’s dynamic. He gives Mazzulla’s five-out offense the freedom to flex the muscles of the opposition defense. And he turns the Celtics into one of the hardest teams to score on when they are four feet from the hoop.

The good news about Porzingis’s progress does not change the fact that he will miss the Celtics’ first game or games against the Cavaliers. Tuesday, May 7, at 7 PM Eastern, will mark the start of their second-round series. Boston, having earned the top seed in the East, will host the first two games of the series at the TD Garden.

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