Kristaps Porzingis will be available for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, but will only play if Boston feels it’s necessary, said Joe Mazzulla to reporters Friday night before tip-off.
“Yeah, he’s not quite there, but we’re going to make him available,” said Mazzulla of Porzingis per CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell. “We’re only going to use him for very specific instances if necessary.”
Mazzulla did not say what sorts of “specific instances” these may be, though it is likely Porzingis may play if the Celtics feel they are spiraling out of control, need a momentum shift, or simply as a last-ditch effort should the game slip away. It may be equally likely he does not play at all.
Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum in Game 2, a rare injury that gave little clarity on if he would play in Game 3, return to the Finals at any point, or perhaps even require surgery in the off-season. Porzingis missed Game 3, with Mazzulla saying the decision was up to the Celtics medical staff, not Porzingis himself.
However, Porzingis went through roughly a 20-minute workout pregame, with the Celtics’ staff ultimately deciding he could suit up but would not necessarily be able to play his regular workload.
This type of emergency availability is uncommon for NBA stars but is occasionally used in pivotal playoff games, such as the New York Knicks activating OG Anunoby for Game 7 of their second-round series loss to the Indiana Pacers. However, Anunoby appeared severely hindered, and while he started, he only managed 5 minutes.
Teams are often unable to gauge whether a player can handle game speed until they actually take the floor, and Mazzulla and the Celtics staff clearly wanting to give themselves the option to use Porzingis as they look to win their 18th NBA championship.
