AUERBACH CENTER — Given that the Magic forced a Game 7 against the Cavaliers, the Celtics still don’t know who their next opponent will be. So, for the second consecutive day, the team nonetheless practiced in preparation of an ambiguous second-round opponent.
Despite the long wait until Game 1 on Tuesday, it is still the playoffs nonetheless.
Before media was allowed in, loud crowd noise emulating TD Garden’s “defense” chants pumped through the Auerbach Center, and a barrage of artificial ‘boos’ continued as Jaylen Brown practiced free throws at the end of practice.
Here’s what you need to know from Saturday’s Celtics practice.
A smiling Kristaps Porzingis made his first post-injury appearance
Kristaps Porzingis walked around practice with a grin and provided his first media update since straining his calf on Monday night in Miami. He acknowledged that the strain was worse than the one he suffered against Orlando earlier in the season, but also said he was in good spirits, and that he understands injuries comes with the territory.
“It gets you down for a second, but it is what it is,” Porzingis said. “It’s part of the sport. These things happen. And the best I can do now is, ‘Okay, what’s the next thing I have to do to get healthy as soon as possible and follow the plan and make sure I do everything and just getting in that mindset.’ Because I can’t change what happened in the game. And that’s it.”
Kristaps Porzingis said there’s no target date yet:
“It’s still pretty early. It will be clear once I start doing more stuff… I’m expecting to recover at a historic rate.” pic.twitter.com/skhFayU0Id
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 4, 2024
Porzingis still doesn’t have a target return date, but said he intends to travel with the team and has been lifting and is making progress. He also joked he’s expecting to recover from the soleus strain at “a historic rate.”
Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics coaching staff are prepping for both possible opponents — but see similarities between the two
With the Magic extending the series to the max seven games, the Celtics are the only team who doesn’t know who they’ll face in the conference semi-finals. Tomorrow, after Orlando and Cleveland face off in a deciding Game 7, the Celtics will finally know who they’ll hosting on Tuesday night.
Joe Mazzulla said the team sees similarities between the Cavs and the Magic — both top defenses in the league — and that they spent today’s practice preparing in the ways that they are the same.
“When it does come time knowing your opponent, you can pick two or three things that you really want to [focus on] heading into Game 1,” Mazzulla said. “Right now, we’re really focusing on the themes that both opponents — the challenges that they present are similar.”
Joe Mazzulla said that he has scouts prepping for Orlando and Cleveland, and once the Celtics know their opponent, they’ll hone in on 2 to 3 things:
“Right now, we’re really focusing on the themes that both opponents [have] — the challenges that they present are similar.” pic.twitter.com/YqwmJbVDqM
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 4, 2024
Mazzulla said he previously held scouting responsibilities as an assistant coach in 2021, when the Celtics lost in the first round. He had being preparing for both Milwaukee and Miami as potential match-ups, but the Celtics were eliminated by the Brooklyn Nets in five games — so he’s familiar with the process of scouting for an opponent that the team won’t ultimately face.
“Both scout coaches are preparing to be ready for Monday morning,” Mazzulla said with a smile. “One gets the next couple weeks off, the other one doesn’t.”
Jaylen Brown practices free throws to a chorus of boos
For weeks now, Jaylen Brown has been spotted practicing free throws nearly every time media gets access to shootaround or practice. He normally also spends time at the line pregame at TD Garden.
Brown has struggled with free throw shooting all year. In the first round against Miami, Brown shot just 45% from the line — hitting just 9 of 20 free throws. That came after a season in which he shot 70.3% from the charity stripe.
His postseason free throw shooting percentages have regressed in each of the last four playoff runs — in 2020, he shot 84.1% from the line, in 2021, 76.3%, and in 2022, that number fell to to 68.9%.
The coaching staff has gone to great lengths to emulate in-game shooting as much as possible, with assistant coaches lined up to rebound and a game-like inbounds pass taking place after a make. On Saturday, the team went a step further, with crowd noise pumping in as Brown shot free throws — including the reverberating noises of a chorus “boos” of an away arena.
