The Boston Celtics wrapped up their opening round against the Miami Heat the same way they started it: flattening the shorthanded talent from South Beach.
But the five-game series is more likely to be remembered for the speed bump in Game 4 - Kristaps Porzingis’ calf injury that tinged the team’s progress as a pyrrhic victory.
Boston came out dressed in their black uniforms and ready to lay rest a Heat team without Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, or Jaime Jacquez, Jr. The duo of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, coming off a career high, drove the Celtics through a 3-point shooting clinic slowed down only occasionally by Bam Adebayo. Each finished the first half with 17 points. Jayson Tatum went into halftime with 15. Al Horford marked Adebayo in Porzingis’ absence, with Luke Kornet cycling in during the second half.
Let’s be real. The biggest headline out of the matchup came from TNT’s Chris Haynes before “Shipping Up to Boston” even played. The reporter shared intel on Porzingis’ availability:
“Obviously he is out for this series, but I’m told he is likely out for next series as well. The expectation, or the hope, I should say, is he could make a return if the Celtics were to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics are very ecstatic and happy that this injury isn’t anything more severe, as well as Kristaps himself.”
Haynes further said the Celtics will evaluate Porzingis after around six games of rest to see how well he’s rehabbed the calf strain.
“If” is doing heavy lifting in that report. The Celtics should be able to overcome any other team in the Eastern Conference, with or without Porzingis. They won’t all be the welcome mat to the next round the hobbled Heat were, but their most formidable foes in Milwaukee and New York are also hampered.
It gets tricky in the Finals. On the bright side: Denver and Minnesota, the two best teams out west, get to duke it out in the second round. Boston only has to play one. But on the other hand: then Boston has to play a team with either the lineup of Jokic/Gordon/Porter Jr. or Rudy Gobert/Karl Anthony Towns. And that’s just discussing pure size without Porzingis. Those teams also boast Jamal Murray (super clutch) and Anthony Edwards (the most terrifying young guy in the league right now).
Boston will also face other challenges with their big fellas while Porzingis rests. Horford will have to significantly increase his minutes per game from his 27-minute average to something north of 30, at least. Celtics color commentator Brian Scalabrine told WEEI’s “Jones and Mego” the 37-year-old may have to play as much as 38 minutes some nights, and do so without wearing himself down before the conference finals. Deep reserves Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman will need to play minutes to relieve Horford. Teams go out and get Big insurance for this kind of case, but you hope you never actually have to use it – especially as early as the second round.
For one night the Celtics can celebrate putting away the boogeymen who shot them out of the East last year. Yes, even with Butler on the bench. But make no mistake, the road back to the Finals this year has gotten a lot more winding.