With the Minnesota Timberwolves forcing a Game 7 by crushing the Denver Nuggets 115-70, the Eastern Conference Finals schedule is now set.
Game 1: Knicks/Pacers at Celtics, Tuesday, May 21st, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: Knicks/Pacers at Celtics, Thursday, May 23rd, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 3: Celtics at Knicks/Pacers, Saturday, May 25th, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)
Game 4: Celtics at Knicks/Pacers, Monday, May 27th, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 5: Knicks/Pacers at Celtics, Wednesday, May 29th, 8 p.m. (ESPN)*
Game 6: Celtics at Knicks/Pacers, Friday, May 31st, 8 p.m. (ESPN)*
Game 7: Knicks/Pacers at Celtics, Sunday, June 2nd, 8 p.m. (ESPN)*
*if necessary
Heading in to tonight and tomorrow’s Game 6s, if either series went seven games, then the Celtics would be hosting Game 1 on Tuesday, May 21st. Of course, we still don’t know who Boston will be facing in the ECF. The Knicks look to wrap up the series on the road at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, 8:30 pm EST. The Pacers have won both games in Indianapolis, including a 32-point blowing in Game 4.
The two-day delay of the conference finals gives Kristaps Porzingis just a little more time to recover from his right soleus calf strain. The Monday prior to Game 1 will mark three weeks since sustaining the injury against the Miami Heat. It was widely expected that Porzingis would miss the entire second round and potentially the start of the third. Over the last week, he’s been seen running shooting drills at practice and pre-game, but nothing rigorous that might suggest his much-anticipated return is soon.
Joe Mazzulla doesn’t have a definitive timeline on Kristaps Porzingis’s recovery:
“I haven’t watched his rehab, but he’s working hard and trying to get back, and he’s made better steps.”
“All I know is that he’s working really hard to try and get back as fast as he can.” pic.twitter.com/4ARMBT5CRx
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 13, 2024
“I haven’t watched his rehab, but he’s working hard and trying to get back, and he’s made better steps,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said on Monday. “All I know is that he’s working really hard to try and get back as fast as he can.”
The ECF schedule is a grueling one, with the teams playing every other day for nearly two weeks. This rest won’t just help Porzingis, but the rest of the team as they heal up for eight more wins to raise Banner 18.
