He was the standout star of Game 1 upon returning after more than a month due to a right leg injury, but Kristaps Porzingis then got injured again, this time his left leg, in Game 2, causing him to miss the next two games.
In Game 5, the Latvian player gritted his teeth and contributed to the decisive victory for the title, but now he will need surgery and faces a potentially long period of recovery.
Kristaps Porzingis didn’t have an easy spring. He had to miss almost all the playoffs due to a right leg injury that occurred during Game 4 of the first-round series against Miami. After being out for over a month, he returned for the Finals opener and was the standout in the Celtics’ Game 1 victory over Dallas. However, the excitement was short-lived. In Game 2, Porzingis injured his other leg, which kept him out of the next two games.
Many thought his season was over, but Porzingis gritted his teeth and returned for Game 5. He played 16 minutes and scored 5 points, contributing to the win that clinched the title.
“I knew I was at risk and could make the injury worse,” Porzingis said after the game, “but I wanted to give everything I had, planning to deal with recovery afterward.” Now, after lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, focusing on recovery has become a priority.
Now a surgery for the big man, but the effort was worth it.
“I knew very well that, coming off the injury to my other leg, I was at risk of compensating with my weight and posture and hurting myself even more,” Porzingis explained.
He emphasized that the goal of winning the title was clear from the start of his journey with the Celtics, and he wouldn’t have given it up for anything in the world. “When I came to Boston, I knew the only goal was the championship,” Porzingis added. “It’s truly amazing to feel like NBA champions.”
The Celtics’ big man doesn’t mind that the effort will now require surgery and likely several months of recovery, as he revealed to ESPN. “I don’t care,” Porzingis said. “Winning the title was the most important thing, and it was definitely worth it.”
