Joe Mazzulla on why he benched Kristaps Porzingis: ‘He couldn’t breathe’
"So, he was available if absolutely necessary."
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The Celtics kept their season alive on Wednesday night via a 127-102 win over the Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
But even if Boston has pushed the series back to New York on Friday night, questions still remain over the health of Kristaps Porzingis.
With Jayson Tatum already sidelined with a ruptured Achilles, the Celtics continue to be dealt a tough hand with Porzingis — whose effectiveness this postseason has waned due to the lingering effects of a lengthy illness.
The 7-foot-2 Celtics big man only logged 12 minutes during Boston’s win at TD Garden on Wednesday night — finishing with just one point on 0-for-3 shooting with one rebound and one blocked shot.
With Porzingis struggling to keep up with the pace out on the court Wednesday, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla ultimately opted to bench the 29-year-old center/power forward for the entire second half.
Mazzulla’s decision to keep Porzingis on the pine was validated by a standout showing from reserve Luke Kornet — who finished Wednesday’s game with 10 points (5-of-5 from the field), nine rebounds and seven blocks over 26 minutes of action.
But speaking after Wednesday’s win, Mazzulla also expanded on the decision to bench Porzinigs in the second half — noting that the symptoms of his illness had him in a rough spot.
“I mean, he couldn’t breathe,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis postgame. “So, he was available if absolutely necessary. That was just a decision between me and him, he was just having difficulty breathing. He wanted to be out there, and if we absolutely needed him we would’ve been able to go to him.”
Porzingis has largely been a non-factor up to this point in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against his former team. He played just 13 minutes in Game 1, 14 minutes in Game 2, and 19 minutes in Game 3 before stretching his reps to 24 minutes in Boston’s Game 4 loss at Madison Square Garden.
But Wednesday stood as a frustrating step back for Porzingis — whose post play, rim protection, and 3-point shooting would be welcomed on a Celtics team currently trudging ahead without Tatum this postseason.
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