The Boston Celtics took care of business against the Miami Heat. After losing Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, the Celtics rattled off three convincing victories to eliminate the team that ended their playoff run a year ago.
They did it without veteran center Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a calf injury in Game 4 and is expected to be out several games. After clinching the series with a 118-84 victory on Wednesday, May 1, Celtics star Jaylen Brown talked about the pain Porzingis is feeling even after a Boston win.
Jaylen Brown Gives Quick Update on Kristaps Porzingis
The Celtics brought in Porzingis in the offseason via a three-team trade that saw Boston send off Marcus Smart, a fan favorite who began his career with the Celtics in 2014. While losing Smart hurt, Celtics fans quickly took a liking to Porzingis, who gave Boston a much-needed inside presence.
The biggest question regarding the Porzingis trade wasn’t about losing Smart. It was Porzingis’ health. The Celtics were overly cautious with their oft-injured 7-foot-2 center, who missed 25 games this season. Several of those games were for precautionary reasons, as the Celtics cruised through the regular season with a 64-18 record.
Boston suffered a blow in Game 4 of the Heat series when Porzingis came up lame with a non-contact injury to his calf. He’s likely to miss Boston’s next series but could potentially return if the Celtics reach the conference finals.
Porzingis has been upbeat all season, saying this was one of the most enjoyable years of his career. Brown, a close friend of Porzingis, said he’s still smiling, but he’s also hurting.
“KP wants to be out there bad,” Brown told reporters. “Just knowing him now, he’s smiling, but you can tell it hurts him not being with this team.
“I just told him that we’re going to hold it down. Just get your recovery in, get back healthy, and we’re not going to miss a beat when you come back. We’ll be ready.”
Brown and the Short-handed Celtics Await Their Next Opponent
The Celtics were the first Eastern Conference team to advance to the second round. They’ll square off against either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Orlando Magic.
The Celtics blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Cavaliers at the end of the regular season. Brown said both the Cavs and the Magic post legitimate threats.
“Both play hard,” Brown said. “Both are young, tough teams, hungry, that want to perform. We’ve got to come ready to play. They’re looking to make a name for themselves, and we’ve got to be ready.”
Brown said the extra rest Boston gets while the other Eastern Conference teams battle it out will be beneficial to the Celtics.
“I think it’s good,” he said. “I think it’s good that we did our work early. Wish it could’ve been (done in) four (games), but we’ll take five. You mentally reset and focus on what’s next, see what stuff you can continue to improve on. Definitely some stuff we can clean up. Definitely some stuff I will clean up going forward into the playoffs.”
