The Celtics have a puzzling phenomenon this season: When Porzingis is out, the team’s record (28-7) is better than when he is out (21-12). However, that doesn’t mean the Celtics will be any better without the 7-foot-3 centre, as Porzingis’ ability to protect against the basket and score in a variety of ways is critical to the team.
Porzingis finally returned to action yesterday against the Nets after missing several games with an uncertain virus. In his first game back, he scored 24 points, plus or minus 13. Celtics guard Pritchard was full of praise for Porzingis’s performance: “He’s like a unicorn, an incredible player. We’re more dangerous when we have him.”
With the gap between the Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, out of hope of catching up, the final weeks of the regular season will be focused on fine-tuning and fixing problems. One of the big goals is to get the Celtics’ starting lineupPorzingis, Jaylen Brown, Jure Holiday and Derrick White to find their best form. Last season, the team won by 11 points per 100 possessions, but this season it has lost 20 games.
That said, the Celtics aren’t worried. “We know what we can do when we’re on the floor,” Tatum said. He has full confidence in the team’s ability and believes that as long as everyone works together, they will overcome the difficulties.
Porzingis is also happy to be able to play with his teammates and hopes that he is completely free of illness. “It feels good. To be honest, I didn’t feel fully fit today either, but I got into the mindset of ‘I want to go out there and start to recover.'” During the game, he gradually found his form, especially in the fourth quarter. In the end, the Celtics won the game, and Porzingis was happy.
