The 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks begin tonight. Can the Celtics cap their playoff dominance with a championship? It will certainly be a daunting task facing Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and a very hot Mavericks team. However, the return of starting center Kristaps Porzingis would help the team significantly.
Porzingis has been out of action since Boston’s first round against the Miami Heat. Even though the team hasn’t struggled in his absence, Porzingis’ 20.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG are certainly not welcome. The Celtics have made it clear, however, that they don’t want to rush Porzingis before he is fully healthy, so is there still a chance he misses the start of the NBA Finals?
Here are the latest rumors regarding the Celtics big man.
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Celtics ready to welcome Porzingis onto the court
This tweet is as concrete proof as anything. Porzingis is expected to play Game 1 against the Dallas Mavericks. Other reports have also confirmed this. The NBA itself confirmed that Porzingis would wear the uniform tonight, and the man himself said he “felt great” on Wednesday.
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Will Porzingis be limited on minutes?
No limitations on Porzingis’ playing time have been reported. That said, even Porzingis isn’t sure if he’ll be at the top of his game in his first match after such a long hiatus.
At the very least, we should expect Porzingis to play a lot early and less playing time as the game goes on. Of course, if the Celtics are leading big late, the Celtics would be inclined to give Porzingis as much rest as possible. If they trail, we might see more of Porzingis in the second half.
Porzingis didn’t even confirm he was feeling well until Thursday’s opener. On Wednesday, Porzingis was asked if he felt normal. Porzingis told reporters: “It’s hard to say, I didn’t play.”
What time are the NBA Finals?
Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden begins at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight. The game will air on ABC and will also be available to stream on Sling TV and fubo TV.
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