Title: „NBA Star Kristaps Porzingis to Miss Final Game Due to Rare Injury“
The Boston Celtics are facing a tough blow ahead of the 3rd game of the NBA Finals as they will be without Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian forward suffered a „rare injury“ in Game 2, according to the team.
In a press statement, the Celtics revealed that Porzingis had torn his retinaculum, a ligament in the left ankle area. Despite attempting to prepare for the third game in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon local time, the Celtics ultimately decided not to take any risks.
Head Coach Joe Mazzulla stated just before tipoff, „It was a decision by the medical staff. They watched him go through some tests and said it didn’t feel right.“ Porzingis had already missed a significant portion of the playoffs and only returned for Game 1 of the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Mazzulla expressed his admiration for Porzingis‘ approach throughout the playoffs, saying, „It’s tough, but I just appreciate his approach throughout the entire playoffs… I definitely feel for him.“ The absence of Porzingis will disrupt the game, as the Mavericks struggled to defend the 7’2″ Latvian in the first two games. He scored 20 points in Game 1 and 12 in Game 2, showcasing strong defensive skills with five blocks in total.
Coach Mazzulla mentioned the possibility of Porzingis returning for Game 4 (Friday night to Saturday), but if the Celtics win against the Mavericks today, there may be no need to take any risks. It is important to note that no NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in a playoff series.
The outcome of the series is unlikely to change based on how quickly Porzingis returns to the court.