BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis has given the Celtics an admirable effort this postseason while dealing with the lingering effects of an illness that has impacted him since March. The big man has suited up for 10 playoff games for the first time in his career but he’s been a shell of his regular season self for the entire Knicks series from a production standpoint.
That was particularly true in Game 5 as he struggled through 13 first half minutes (one point on 0-of-3 shooting to go with one rebound). He struggled defensively against drives and closeout on the perimeters. Offensively, the Celtics turned the ball over on multiple occasions when they tried to force the ball to him. He also couldn’t finish against mismatches as his shooting dropped to 32 percent during the playoffs and a dismal 23 percent during the Knicks series.
Once again, those struggles were due to Porzingis’ fatigue issues according to Joe Mazzulla.
“He couldn’t breathe,” Mazzulla said after Game 5. “He was available if absolutely necessary. So that was just a decision between me and him. He was having difficulties breathing, but he wanted to be out there, and if we absolutely needed him, we would have been able to go to him and rely on him. But you’ve seen a lot of that this year.
“Changing the lineup at halftime is something that we’ve done a lot this year because it just adds a different dimension and can change some sub patterns throughout the game. So it’s a credit to the guys just buying into what gives us the best chance to win each and every night, and I know KP will be ready for us.”
Mazzulla is understandably sticking up for one of his players here publicly but the Celtics can no longer afford to see what Porzingis has on a given night. It’s evident that Luke Kornet and Al Horford are superior options at center for Boston in this series. Porzingis extended stints have been costly for this team in Game 2, 4 and 5 at this point. It’s not a knock on Porzingis that his illness is impacting him but the team needs to stop trying to work around him or hope he’s feeling well enough to contribute.
With no margin for error in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, Porzingis needs to be removed from the starting five. There’s also going to be a case for him to be benched entirely with those minutes spread around between Horford, Kornet, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and perhaps a wildcard bench option.
BETTING: Celtics moneyline is listed at +114 on FanDuel for Friday’s Game 6 against New York. Our complete list of Massachusetts sportsbook promos will help you find a sportsbook to use.
Porzngis is the only Celtic player with a negative net rating (-7.0) in this series and Boston’s defense has fallen off a cliff with him on the floor (119 points allowed per 100 possessions). With numbers like that, even giving him a bench stint feels like asking too much in Game 6.
Perhaps Mazzulla will give him a chance in Madison Square Garden in case he’s turned some kind of corner but he needs to be on a very short leash if that’s the path taken. The smarter choice may very well be going with the safer options that have proven to be better this series. With no margin for error, sitting Porzingis could be Boston’s best path to force a Game 7.
