What the Celtics’ path to Eastern Conference finals and Kristaps Porzingis’s return timetable look like
Porzingis's injury is unideal, but the Celtics are 21-4 without him in games this season.
As Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis limped off the court towards Miami’s visiting locker room Monday night, fears of an abbreviated post-season began to simmer.
An MRI reportedly revealed the star center avoided serious injury, suffering a right soleus strain (or, for our non-podiatrist readers, a calf strain). Still, Porzingis will be sidelined for an indefinite amount of games, with his return contingent on how he responds to treatment. The Celtics are not viewing the strain as a season-ending injury, according to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.
“The lack of a definitive timeline for Porzingis’s return was due to the fact that the team just doesn’t know yet,” Himmelsbach wrote.
As the Celtics prepare for Game 5 against the Heat on Wednesday, they’ll be forced to adjust without the presence of Porzingis. Boston leads the series 3-1, but will they be able to continue the momentum without their 7-foot-2 rim protector?
“I think you feel pretty good about closing out this series. You’d feel better about Game 5 if you had Kristaps Porzingis out there, but I think you feel pretty confident you’re going to get to the finish line there,” NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg said on “Arbella Early Edition.”
Now, for the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Celtics will face either the Magic or the Cavaliers – two teams that often use their size as an advantage.
“I’m not overly concerned about that,” Forsberg said. “I think the big thing is just – you start thinking about the timetable – can he be back for a potential Eastern Conference finals?”
The Eastern Conference finals are set to tip off on May 21, with a potential move-up date to May 19.
Jeff Stotts, a certified athletic trainer who tracks and analyzes injuries for his website In Street Clothes, noted that Porzingis suffered the same injury as the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“The average time lost for strains specified as a soleus injury is [about] 17 days (6 games),” Stotts wrote in a social media post. By that estimation, Porzingis could be sidelined up until the start of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics have had their fair share of Porzingis-less games this season – and they’ve done well, going 21-4 over 25 games without their starting center. But his role on the court is essential for Boston, and at times, irreplaceable.
“There’s been nights when he’s dominated,” Forsberg said, calling Porzingis the “safety net” when his teammates’ shooting is off.
“The more concerning thing to me is the depth, right? Al Horford has been great and you can slot him in as your fifth starter, a position which he’s quite accustomed to with this core,” he added.
It’s true, just last season Horford joined Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White on the court throughout the regular season and the playoffs. The addition of Jrue Holiday and Porzingis over the summer changed that lineup, but promises a solid foundation nonetheless.
Forsberg offered another scenario for the Celtics: leaning on guys like Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta, and Xavier Tillman.
Kornet, despite only playing 65 total playoff minutes over his four years of postseason runs in Boston, has been “quietly good” all season.
Tillman, however, is who Forsberg called the “X-factor,” explaining that the trade deadline acquisition from Memphis has the potential to prove himself. While Tillman has yet to play any postseason minutes for Boston, he was highly effective for the Grizzlies last year, holding Anthony Davis’ series average to just 20 points.
As the Celtics evaluate their options and look to close out their opening series against Miami, they’ll take on the Heat in Game 5 Wednesday night. The home matchup starts at 7:30 p.m. at TD Garden.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com