Bitter pill before the 3rd game of the NBA Finals.
The Boston Celtics will have to do without Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian winger suffered a “rare injury” in Game 2, according to the team.
Players were already therePyro incident at European Championship training
Source: BILD / Youtube12.06.2024
In a press release, the Celtics spoke of a torn retinaculum, a ligament in the left leg in the ankle area.
Porzingis tried to prepare for the third game in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon (local time), but ultimately the Celtics did not want to take any risks.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla explained shortly before tipoff: “It was a decision by the medical staff. They watched him go through some tests and said it didn’t feel right.”
A bitter setback for the Celtics!
Cleared! Porzingis blocks Maxi Kleber
Photo: Steven Senne/dpa
Porzingis had already missed large parts of the playoffs and only returned for Game 1 of the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Mazzulla: “It’s tough, but I just appreciate his approach throughout the playoffs… I definitely feel sorry for him.”
The renewed suspension will shake up the game. The Mavs had enormous problems defending the 7’10” Latvian in the first two games. In Game 1 he scored 20 points, in Game 2 he scored 12.
He also defended really well. He collected five blocks in the two games. It was extremely difficult to get past him both in the court and under the basket.
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Boston coach Mazzulla also said that he might be able to play again for Game 4 (on Friday night). However, if the Celtics win against the Mavericks today, there should be no need to take any more risks. No NBA team has ever won a playoff series while trailing 0-3.
This is unlikely to change no matter how quickly Porzingis returns to the court.
2024-06-12 23:34:21
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