The Boston Celtics are expected to get back a major piece toward their championship aspirations for Game 1 of the NBA Finals vs. the Dallas Mavericks.
That would be none other forward Kristaps Porzingis, who has been sidelined with a calf strain since Game 4 of the first-round series vs. the Miami Heat.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Porzingis “has completed multiple scrimmages” recently and will be good to go for Thursday’s Game 1.
The Celtics have home-court advantage in the series and are considered favorites, though not by much. Porzingis, of course, would theoretically give them much more of an edge.
Before the injury, Porzingis averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in the playoffs, playing a total of 105 minutes.
“You use him effectively because he’s a great player,” coach Joe Mazzulla said, via Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald. “He’s done a lot of great things for us and just like any other guy, you go through what gives us the best chance to win this game, this series, these matchups, these coverages. That kind of goes down the line for everyone.
“When KP is at his best, he’s been tremendous for us and we expect that from him and we know he will give that to us. As far as everything else, it’s what goes into winning and what give us the best chance to win each particular game, each particular possession and each matchup.”
He’s also a fitting complement to team stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“He’s been the same and one of the great things about him is that he has been through so much in this league that he has a poise and a sentiment about him,” said Mazzulla. “He’s been the same throughout the series, his highs don’t get too high and his lows don’t get too low.”
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