Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis’ Game 1 revelation that should terrify Mavericks

Kristaps Porzingis’ confidence continues to grow after he showed out in his return from injury during the Celtics’ Game 1 win.

Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis' Game 1 revelation that should terrify Mavericks

The Boston Celtics have been mostly overlooked throughout the 2024 NBA playoffs, and it’s not because they’ve performed poorly; on the contrary, the Celtics have been so dominant that they have flown under the radar on their way to the NBA Finals. In fact, they went 12-2 in the first three rounds of the playoffs even though Kristaps Porzingis missed 10 straight games due to a calf injury.

But in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals, Porzingis made his triumphant return to the hardwood, and against his former team in the Dallas Mavericks, no less. Porzingis’ stock had dipped so much during the tail-end of his stint with the Mavericks, but his performance during the Celtics’ 107-89 Game 1 win reaffirmed to the 7’3 Latvian that he is, indeed, the league’s original Unicorn.

“Tonight was an affirmation to myself that I’m pretty good, you know?” Porzingis said in his postgame presser, via ESPN. “Maybe I’m not perfect, but I’m pretty good and I can play like this and I can definitely add to this team.”

Coming off the bench after a hiatus that spanned over a month, Kristaps Porzingis instantly impacted the game from the moment he set foot on the court during the Celtics’ Game 1 victory. He can launch his shot at will due to his size advantage, and in the first quarter, Porzingis scored 11 points, including a bomb from deep three-point range, to play a prominent role in Boston’s 23-5 run that the Mavericks couldn’t recover from. He finished with 20 points on the night in just 21 minutes of play.

Porzingis showed little rust despite his 37-day absence, and it’s such a luxury for the Celtics that they could bring in a 20-point per game scorer during the regular season off the bench and barely skip a beat. Porzingis, as he said, may not be the perfect player. But he’s certainly looking like the perfect piece for the Celtics’ championship puzzle as they come to within three wins away from a championship.

Kristaps Porzingis inches closer to his sweet revenge vs. the Mavericks

In 2021, during Kristaps Porzingis’ most recent playoff appearance prior to this year, he struggled mightily during the Mavericks’ first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. With Luka Doncic playing at a historically great level, Porzingis was cast aside, and he was unable to fill the secondary star duties the team needed him to.

Porzingis averaged just 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds on 47/30/84 shooting splits, which were all down from his regular season numbers. But the eye test painted a worse picture for the 7’3 big man. The Clippers were content to put a much-smaller defender on Porzingis as they were confident that they can push him out to the perimeter and force him to take tough shots from the midrange, and the Mavericks were unable to make them pay.

There may be rumors to this day of some discord between Porzingis and Doncic. Those may very well be true. But their games didn’t exactly mesh together. The Mavericks traded Kristaps Porzingis away in 2022 to bring in Spencer Dinwiddie, and they eventually made the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Porzingis languished with the putrid Wizards for one and a half seasons.

But Porzingis did manage to rehabilitate his value, and the Celtics saw the value of bringing in a versatile 7’3 scorer who gives the team an intimidating rim protecting presence. During the Celtics’ Game 1 win, the version of Porzingis that the Celtics brass envisioned they would get when they brought him in was the one who showed up, much to the delight of head coach Joe Mazzulla.

“He [Kristaps Porzingis] was great on both ends of the floor… That’s the KP that helped us get to where we are today,” Mazzulla said in his postgame presser, via Daniel Donabedian, Celtics beat reporter for ClutchPoints.

“He [Kristaps Porzingis] was great on both ends of the floor… That’s the KP that helped us get to where we are today.” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praises Porzingis’ huge Game 1 performance off the bench 🗣 (via @danield1214)

Celtics fans shower KP with love

It’s not always easy for a professional athlete to play at his best following a considerably lengthy absence. The Celtics’ dominance may have given Kristaps Porzingis ample time to heal up from his calf injury, but still, the speed of a real game differs so much from that of scrimmages during practice.

However, Porzingis was instant impact off the bench; the way he poured in the buckets in the first quarter would make Vinny “The Microwave” Johnson proud. And Porzingis credited the raucous Celtics faithful that came to TD Garden in droves for spurring him on towards his 20-point night.

“I think, obviously, what helped me is just even from the walk out before the game and then getting on the court, getting that kind of support was unreal. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and that definitely helped,” Porzingis added.

“From the walkout before the game and then getting on the court, getting that kinda support was unreal… the adrenaline was pumping through my veins.” Kristaps Porzingis credits the Celtics fans for his big performance in Game 1 🗣 (via @danield1214)