Mycampusplug
Kevin Garnett delivers a hard-hitting revelation about how the Celtics are affected by Kristaps Porzingis’ absence
The Boston Celtics performed admirably in overcoming the Miami Heat in the opening round and averting the upset. The Heat grabbed game two away from the Celtics, setting up a thrilling start to the series, but the Celtics won the next three games to win it in five. They will now play the Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next round. But going ahead, Boston will have a problem since Kristaps Porzingis is batting injured right now.
A calf issue is now bothering Kristaps Porzingis, and he will likely miss a few games as he recovers. Former Celtics players Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce talked about the injury on their podcast, Ticket & The Truth. Garnett believes that Boston might have problems without Porzingis.
In the podcast, Garnett stated, “Porzingis is a big part of why we view the Celtics as damn near unstoppable or we got them on this higher tier just because of what he brings.” “I believe the Celtics are talented enough to continue winning if he is not sidelined indefinitely. Without him, the Celtics are a different team.
It was one thing to defeat the eight-seeded Heat, but now that they are in the next round, the going will get much harder. The Magic or the Cavaliers, whichever they face next, will both fight hard. With their abundance of quality, the two clubs are capable of competing with the undermanned Celtics. Things will get more harder should they advance to the conference finals, assuming they can make it past the second round.
Paul Pierce remarked, “I think they can… maybe get through round two.” “But it’s a whole different ball game once you reach the Conference Finals.” You require him.
In terms of record throughout the regular season, the Celtics were by far the best team in the NBA; yet, with Porzingis out, they may be in trouble. Boston’s postseason struggles have been well-documented in recent years, and this injury will make it much harder to reverse the pattern. This team’s postseason struggles seem to always stem from something, and Porzingis’ injury may be the cause this year.
In the second round, Boston will play either the Cavaliers or the Magic; the bookies have the Cavaliers as the favorite, with a 3.5-point advantage. That series’ seventh game will start at 1:00 ET on Sunday.
The Celtics would play the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks in the conference finals if they were to win that series. Going up against any of these remaining teams in the finals shouldn’t be too difficult for a healthy Boston club, but it’s a different story without Kristaps Porzingis. Everything will depend on how long he is out and whether or not he is truly playing at full capacity when he returns.
