Green Zinger Tea - Kristaps Porziņģis 2023-24

[InstaFace]

Yeah that video and CJM comments today, on combination with what radsoxfan has said here, took me from cautiously optimistic to highly confident that we get something from KP this series.

Plus his playoff odometer will be very low. Our other starters are all probably nursing some low grade aches and scrapes from the first 3 series, but calf aside I bet KP feels fresh as a daisy.

 

[Montana Fan]

Yeah that video and CJM comments today, on combination with what radsoxfan has said here, took me from cautiously optimistic to highly confident that we get something from KP this series.

Plus his playoff odometer will be very low. Our other starters are all probably nursing some low grade aches and scrapes from the first 3 series, but calf aside I bet KP feels fresh as a daisy.

One thing I liked about the bubble was that most everyone was healthy. Healthy teams competing is THE BEST we can ask for. Like others, I bellyached about the delayed start to the Finals but 9-10 days off means that what nagging injuries the players have, will be treated. Then add two nights off between all but one game and this is likely to be one of the healthiest series we’ve seen, especially at the beginning.

If Porzingis is good to go, and I think he will be, we’re gonna get the Celtics A game, as are the Mavericks. LFG!!

 

[Al Zarilla]

Yes.

There’s a certain hero that played for a local sports team that can be used for this.

View: https://youtu.be/tlR3bAiQ7Cw?si=HX6Is0K8htAvg9uT

 

[lars10]

I think it’s people just mentally hedging.

Yeah.. I’m not trying to be pessimistic.. just want to see him running and jumping to know he’s fully back before I get too excited. I think the Cs have planned this out pretty perfectly and even without KP are very capable of beating the Mavs.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Oh good, we’ve reached the track coach analyzing section of the 10 day break. No offense EJ, but cmon.

As I said in the post you have chosen to ridicule, a few second clip proves nothing and wasn't offered to prove anything.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I love the gamesmanship here - and see no reason for Celtics to clarify anything until the league makes them (day before injury update?)

My personal best guess is he's going to be good to go for 15-20 min in game 1. But all possibilities are real in my mind---from he isn't coming back to he was available if needed for game 4 ECF.

Agree, there's no reason for the Celtics to say anything about his availablility until the league requires it.

 

[Red Averages]

As I said in the post you have chosen to ridicule, a few second clip proves nothing and wasn't offered to prove anything.

Neither does analysis from a track coach. We have medical professionals in this thread opining in, consistently. Perhaps we can defer to the experts? Again, as stated in the first post, I wasn’t trying to offend you with a response, but look at the optics from the outside.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Neither does analysis from a track coach. We have medical professionals in this thread opining in, consistently. Perhaps we can defer to the experts? Again, as stated in the first post, I wasn’t trying to offend you with a response, but look at the optics from the outside.

As a general matter, would you say it is true or false that track coaches have some knowledge about athletic movements such as <checks notes> running?

What you are really saying here is that some types of information ought not be shared and that you RA should get to be the arbiter of that. Or, I suppose, that some types of posters ought not to post here and you get to decide that.

Personally, I have no expectations about KP. I'll be mildly surprised if he misses the whole series or if plays every game at regular season minutes. Based on the little we know nother etween those two extremes would be a surprise for me.

 

[Red Averages]

What you are really saying here is that some types of information ought not be shared

Yes. Track coach opinions on a few seconds worth of video of a player they have never met in person shooting a basketball should not be valued anywhere near the same as the medical opinions expressed in this thread, or the actual updates from the player themself, the coach, or the players who have commented. I don’t see how this is remotely controversial.

and that you RA should get to be the arbiter of that.

Never said that. I don’t know why you are so offended to get pushback.

Or, I suppose, that some types of posters ought not to post here and you get to decide that.

Also I did not say that. You clearly you have a bias and have a rush to express it though.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Yes. Track coach opinions on a few seconds worth of video of a player they have never met in person shooting a basketball should not be valued anywhere near the same as the medical opinions expressed in this thread, or the actual updates from the player themself, the coach, or the players who have commented. I don’t see how this is remotely controversial.

It's not. But "don't be a dick" also shouldn't be controversial, yet you couldn't help yourself. You acted as though I made some definitive claims aout KP's availability, which I didn't. Not in my original post or since.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Curious, what odds would you need to bet that he won't play in Game 1?

I’m curious too bc we are all guessing with very limited information. As radsox has said from the beginning the start of the Finals was a great timeline which I agreed with at the time. G1 is 5 days out and if it was tonight I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying he’d be playing based on what little we’ve seen. How much difference will 5 days make? I’d imagine at this stage of the recovery quite a bit….but not a clue as to how much.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Barring a setback, it seems obvious to me he’s playing Game 1, at least off the bench. They’re practicing hard today, apparently, so I imagine barring a setback we’ll essentially get confirmation today or tomorrow.

Boston fans are a pessimistic bunch lol.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Barring a setback, it seems obvious to me he’s playing Game 1, at least off the bench. They’re practicing hard today, apparently, so I imagine barring a setback we’ll essentially get confirmation today or tomorrow.

Boston fans are a pessimistic bunch lol.

I hope they are coy with his status publicly. Let Dallas keep guessing if he’s playing or not.

 

[sezwho]

Barring a setback, it seems obvious to me he’s playing Game 1, at least off the bench. They’re practicing hard today, apparently, so I imagine barring a setback we’ll essentially get confirmation today or tomorrow.

Boston fans are a pessimistic bunch lol.

There’s a generation (including me) that saw the Celtics winning as a practically Patriot-ish birthright. I had no idea how rare/temporary it was, but I still loved it.

This iteration of the team has variously had more talent than they could harness and feels like they could kick a couple big wins away that tip a series.

The end of the last Pacers series marked an odd watershed for me, where I realized I expected them to execute down the stretch and seal the win. I’m vigorously hoping the Js have grown to the level (in my oversimplified view this has been a waiting game for them) and we can finally have Nice Things (like the Larry Obrien trophy) again.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Barring a setback, it seems obvious to me he’s playing Game 1, at least off the bench. They’re practicing hard today, apparently, so I imagine barring a setback we’ll essentially get confirmation today or tomorrow.

Boston fans are a pessimistic bunch lol.

That's an interesting question. In his first game back, does he start or come off the bench? A case could be made for either.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

To me, you bring him off bench initially to manage transition and increase flexibility in how you deploy him.

that also lets you move him to start as an adjustment if warranted (or needed) whereas it’s harder to do the reverse (move him out of starting lineup) if he’s not as effective.

I do wonder if he comes in off bench pretty quickly, as he’s likely most valuable vs Dallas’ starters where rim threat is greatest. But for finals, starters are out there a lot so likely not a huge difference

 

[Eddie Jurak]

To me, you bring him off bench initially to manage transition and increase flexibility in how you deploy him.

that also lets you move him to start as an adjustment if warranted (or needed) whereas it’s harder to do the reverse (move him out of starting lineup) if he’s not as effective.

I do wonder if he comes in off bench pretty quickly, as he’s likely most valuable vs Dallas’ starters where rim threat is greatest. But for finals, starters are out there a lot so likely not a huge difference

I think the argument for starting would be: bring him into a predictable situation with full support of the Celtics stars and the lineup he has played all season with. I honestly don't know which option is better.

 

[sezwho]

To me, you bring him off bench initially to manage transition and increase flexibility in how you deploy him.

also lets you move him to start as an adjustment if warranted (or needed) whereas it’s harder to do the reverse (move him out of starting lineup) if he’s not as effective.

I do wonder if he comes in off bench pretty quickly, as he’s likely most valuable vs Dallas’ starters where rim threat is greatest. But for finals, starters are out there a lot so likely not a huge difference.

Agree with this. Unless he has zero limitations, which seems quite unlikely, starting him will immediately surface those limitations (minutes and movement) to the Mavs coaching. If he begins on the bench, he can come in fresh for the right matchups and best make use of whatever he can offer.

If he actually starts, it could be ‘business as usual’ but seems potentially also a bad sign where his treatment is timed out for Q1, etc.

 

[pjheff]

I think the argument for starting would be: bring him into a predictable situation with full support of the Celtics stars and the lineup he has played all season with. I honestly don't know which option is better.

I think the argument for starting him would be that he’s loose from pregame warmups and doesn’t tighten up sitting on the bench.

 

[TripleOT]

I think the argument for starting himwould be that he’s loose from pregame warmups and doesn’t tighten up sitting on the bench.

And Gafford isn’t as good defending the three as Lively. A few Willis Reed style perimeter makes from KP to start the game would be awesome.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I think the argument for starting him would be that he’s loose from pregame warmups and doesn’t tighten up sitting on the bench.

I agree, that is part of what I meant by predictable.

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

Has anyone asked Sam Hauser's sister how KP is doing yet?

 

[128]

Has anyone asked Sam Hauser's sister how KP is doing yet?

I'll see her at a staff meeting Tuesday. If I have a chance talk to her on the side, I'll see if she knows anything.

 

[BigSoxFan]

I'll see her at a staff meeting Tuesday. If I have a chance talk to her on the side, I'll see if she knows anything.

While you’re at it, please tell her to tell her brother to hit a f*cking 3.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Long-form article on NYT that doesn't have a ton of new information but a fun read while we're waiting for a game: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5534416/2024/06/03/how-kristaps-porzingis-cold-lonely-winter-made-him-celtics-key-to-success/.

One note on how CJM incorporated KP into the offense:

Mazzulla designed the offense to mimic late-game execution, with a mantra to think fast and play slow. Whether they got a stop on defense, they would push the ball up the floor quickly, scope out a crossmatch, then get Porziņģis involved to punish it.​

​

“We didn’t know going into the season how teams were going to guard him, so we were pretty open-minded to just seeing how that goes,” Mazzulla said. “But we knew the endgame was end of a game, end of a series, switching, how do we incorporate him into that?”​

​

Most of the Celtics’ playbook is formations with an initial action, with various permutations improvised based on how the defense covers it. Mazzulla often scans the floor to see the matchups when his team gets the possession and will call out a play.​

​

It didn’t take long for him to get a feel for how to use Porziņģis to maximize that leverage. Some teams would just switch and accept Porziņģis was getting a cross match. Others would run a standard drop coverage and wait until the last second to veer him, which is a delayed switch.​

​

Either way, Porziņģis often got to that spot at the nail where he could put the ball over his head and read the floor. As a result, Boston’s clutch net rating jumped from 4.6 last regular season to 15.4 this year, per NBA Stats.​

​

Porziņģis became the focal point of one of Boston’s go-to plays, “Octagon.” It’s a play where he sets a screen for a ballhandler on the elbow with the other three Celtics spaced around the other side of the floor.​

​

Because Porziņģis is screening a defender against the sideline with no help close by, it makes it easy for him to force the switch. From there, the defense either doubles so he can pass out, or he can work on a smaller defender.​

​

“We have so many weapons that are so clutch, that all five of us can make something happen,” Porziņģis said. “It’s a nightmare for the other team, to be honest.”​

 

[chilidawg]

That's a great piece, thanks.

 

[JohnnyTheBone]

That's a great piece, thanks.

Prom night.

 

[InstaFace]

I think Jared Weiss is the best writer on the Celtics beat, so it makes sense that The Athletic picked him up. Good story, though the quoted bits were definitely the meat of it for the devoted Celtics fan, not much else was news.

 

[Euclis20]

View: https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1797999675536220344

 

[Leon Trotsky]

Its happening...

 

[JCizzle]

LFG!!!

 

[Ed Hillel]

Hmmmmm, I’m not convinced!

 

[m0ckduck]

Hmmmmm, I’m not convinced!

Yeah, I don't like how he's moving in that picture at all.

 

[lovegtm]

More gamesmanship--how deep does the rabbithole go??

 

[tims4wins]

More gamesmanship--how deep does the rabbithole go??

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Hmmmmm, I’m not convinced!

I have it on inside information that the scrimmages were of wheelchair basketball so you're correct to be skeptical.

 

[m0ckduck]

I won't be convinced until I see video evidence of him limping that is subsequently proven to be fake

 

[Red Right Ankle]

Yeah, I don't like how he's moving in that picture at all.

*snort*

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Yeah, I don't like how he's moving in that picture at all.

Still laughing at this. Well done.

 

[koufax32]

This place is losing its touch. The judges were looking for…

 

[Al Zarilla]

This place is losing its touch. The judges were looking for…

View attachment 83668

Belichick shouldn’t use that headshot on his resume when applying for a job.

 

[m0ckduck]

Glass-half-empty ESPN.com take: "Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis plans to play in NBA Finals, unsure if he's 100%"

And, on two occasions -- when he was asked Tuesday if he is 100 percent right now, and again later when asked if he is pain free -- he took several long seconds before hesitantly answering.

"Good question," he said with a wry smile to the question of whether he's currently 100 percent. "I don't know. We'll see. Done a lot of work up until this point. Done everything needed to get back into playing shape. We'll see."

Later, when asked if he's running pain-free, he sat for a while, seemingly deciding what to say, before eventually just saying, "Yes."

It was the latest moment of candor from Porzingis over his year in Boston -- dating back to his introductory news conference at the team's practice facility when, in answering a question about how he would perform in the playoffs, he admitted that he didn't know.

 

[tims4wins]

Eh I view the wry smile as KP knows.

 

[m0ckduck]

Eh I view the wry smile as KP knows.

Indeed. Having lived in Central Europe for some years, I can attest that Westerners misunderstand both the Slavic Shrug and the Slavic Smirk.

 

[Red Right Ankle]

This place is losing its touch. The judges were looking for…

View attachment 83668

Too much Heyward taint on that one now.

 

[Reverend]

Indeed. Having lived in Central Europe for some years, I can attest that Westerners misunderstand both the Slavic Shrug and the Slavic Smirk.

Word. And it could also, like, be true. Like, he hasn’t yet gone true game speed yet and he told them all he knows. (And it sounds good!) Not every language and culture speaks with the kind of enthusiastic confidence that does American English.

Reminds me of these great posts from the soccer forum a couple of years ago:

He’s Dutch. For them, that’s playing coy.

For a number of years I ran a student and faculty exchange program with the Netherlands. I first understood Dutch bluntness when I checked in with a student after 2 weeks in Boston and she told me in a perplexed tone, “every time I meet someone they say, ‘nice to meet you.’ But that’s not true.”

I’ve grown to love Dutch directness. You never leave a conversation wondering what they really think or want. Makes for great colleagues.

Of course, I spent all last week talking trash to my Dutch friends and now am getting a steady barrage of shit in return. Ah, the World Cup!

KP gave basically the complete correct answer… and ESPN’s all, “What could this possibly mean!!”

 

[Jimbodandy]

I won't believe that Porzingis is playing until he has played at least three games.

 

[m0ckduck]

Simmons said matter-of-factly in the podcast today that Porzingis would have played had there been a G5 against Indiana, using his "yes, I have insider info" voice. I thought that was interesting. "Ready to play" + week of extra rest bodes well if true.

 

[jose melendez]

Long-form article on NYT that doesn't have a ton of new information but a fun read while we're waiting for a game: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5534416/2024/06/03/how-kristaps-porzingis-cold-lonely-winter-made-him-celtics-key-to-success/.

One note on how CJM incorporated KP into the offense:

Mazzulla designed the offense to mimic late-game execution, with a mantra to think fast and play slow. Whether they got a stop on defense, they would push the ball up the floor quickly, scope out a crossmatch, then get Porziņģis involved to punish it.​

​

“We didn’t know going into the season how teams were going to guard him, so we were pretty open-minded to just seeing how that goes,” Mazzulla said. “But we knew the endgame was end of a game, end of a series, switching, how do we incorporate him into that?”​

​

Most of the Celtics’ playbook is formations with an initial action, with various permutations improvised based on how the defense covers it. Mazzulla often scans the floor to see the matchups when his team gets the possession and will call out a play.​

​

It didn’t take long for him to get a feel for how to use Porziņģis to maximize that leverage. Some teams would just switch and accept Porziņģis was getting a cross match. Others would run a standard drop coverage and wait until the last second to veer him, which is a delayed switch.​

​

Either way, Porziņģis often got to that spot at the nail where he could put the ball over his head and read the floor. As a result, Boston’s clutch net rating jumped from 4.6 last regular season to 15.4 this year, per NBA Stats.​

​

Porziņģis became the focal point of one of Boston’s go-to plays, “Octagon.” It’s a play where he sets a screen for a ballhandler on the elbow with the other three Celtics spaced around the other side of the floor.​

​

Because Porziņģis is screening a defender against the sideline with no help close by, it makes it easy for him to force the switch. From there, the defense either doubles so he can pass out, or he can work on a smaller defender.​

​

“We have so many weapons that are so clutch, that all five of us can make something happen,” Porziņģis said. “It’s a nightmare for the other team, to be honest.”​

Why did he think the winter was so dark? He’s from freaking Latvia.

 

[Spelunker]

Why did he think the winter was so dark? He’s from freaking Latvia.

True, but he'd spent the last 4 winters in Dallas and DC: maybe he's gotten soft.