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Kristaps Porzingis: ‘It kills me inside’ that lingering illness is impacting play
"It’s tough for me, honestly. But who cares? Nobody feels sorry us, sorry for me — and we have to keep going.”
Kristaps Porzingis could only shake his head after Boston’s Game 2 loss to the Knicks on Wednesday night.
Beyond the frustrations of Boston letting another 20-point lead slip away in the second half against New York, the 29-year-old big man was at a loss when it came to his own play. And in particular, the effects of a lingering illness that has sapped him of his strength — just when his team needs him the most.
After failing to score a single point over 13 minutes in Boston’s Game 1 loss to New York on Monday, Porzinigs was once again hindered on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
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He logged just 14 minutes off the bench for Boston — shooting 3-for-5 from the field for just eight points and four rebounds.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s eventual 91-90 loss, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledged that Porzingis is still battling the same viral illness that forced him to miss eight games in February and March.
“Since he came back, I think he’s kind of been dealing with it on and off, fighting through it, working through it, doing the best that he can and I think it was just too much for him in that game,” Mazzulla said. “I didn’t know that was going to happen until I found out about it in that game.
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“He had been working through it since he’s gotten back and he’s done a great job of being available. It was just tough for him to continue yesterday, so we’ll see how he handles that.”
Even though Porzingis was able to return to the court on Wednesday, his limited minutes and his sluggish play has come at a crucial time for a Celtics team that now finds itself down 0-2 in this best-of-seven series against New York.
“I’m dealing with some — I don’t know how to call it. I’m just not feeling my best. I’m not feeling my best at all,” Porzingis said postgame. “It kills me inside that it’s happening in this moment.”
Porzingis acknowledged that he has not fully overcome the symptoms of that viral illness, even if he did return over the final weeks of regular-season play.
The case could be made that the star center/power forward was playing his best basketball of the year down the stretch — averaging 21.1 points and sinking 41.1 percent of his 3-point attempts over 10 games after returning in mid-March.
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But that strong finish to regular-season play hasn’t carried over to the postseason.
“I’ve had ups and downs throughout — up until this point,” Porzingis said. “Just now, had a big crash. My energy, my everything, just hasn’t been good. But who cares? I have to look forward and I know we’ll get better from this point on.”
While Porzingis saluted Celtics fans for continuing to support him during this illness and subsequent dip in play, he also stressed that he’s not going to bemoan his circumstances — not with a potentially season-defining Game 3 on tap for Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
“What I’m super appreciative about is the support that I have in inside (the organization), also probably from the fans. But especially here inside the organization,” Porzingis said. “This is a tough moment for me to not able able to be with the guys.
“It’s not no injury or nothing. Just not feeling my best. It’s tough for me, honestly. But who cares? Nobody feels sorry us, sorry for me — and we have to keep going.”
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