Agreed. I think there's a great chance that at least one of these guys gets a shot tonight, but if they don't play well and lose, assuming KP is out for Game 4, there's a decent chance Joe just goes with a 7 man rotation moving forward. Tatum being able to guard both of their centers (and the 2 days of rest following every game in this series outside of tonight) is absolutely huge.
Green Zinger Tea - Kristaps Porziņģis 2023-24
- Thread starter InstaFace
- Start date
https://x.com/Underdog__NBA/status/1801038448008048933
Might be it for the big man. Lets get it without him.
Might be it for the big man. Lets get it without him.
I obviously don't want any long term health repercussions for him, but I also would love to see him get a chance to be more involved in the Finals.
Would definitely be cool for him to see the floor in the potential clincher, even if it's super limited minutes.
Is it wrong that my first thought when I see that tweet is "oh god, he's torn up his elbows"?
Added bonus that it would be in Dallas, where things did not end so well. I have a feeling he'll get out there, but it's also hard to see what could really change in two days in terms of the injury.
@radsoxfan is this even possible, or just messing with Dallas?
View: https://twitter.com/ByJayKing/status/1801334598703497637
View: https://twitter.com/ByJayKing/status/1801334598703497637
Not really, at least as far as the injury they publicly described.
It's often the case there are multiple injuries going on ad they only publicize the main one. There could be some other pain/swelling that contributed to his limited mobility and was part of the reason to sit him. That other stuff could potentially be improving and maybe he will look better pre-game in Game 4.
More likely than not, I'd guess he isn't playing though.
I don't doubt that he can *feel* a little better and that he is "fighting to play," whatever that means. But I suspect Dr. radsox is right. No more KP.
Yeah, guy is a competitor and is 1 win away from his best lifetime achievement. Dude wants to be out there but I would bet he’s done, even if they lose G4.
Here’s what I’ve heard on KP: He’s consulted 3 different specialists who’ve had only 20 combined cases of this injury. Tomorrow is up in the air, but if there’s a Game 5 he’s more likely to play than tomorrow.
Looking good.
View: https://twitter.com/CTabatabaie/status/1801366762560360776
Not only did the Celtics post this clip, but @kporzee also added it on his IG story
View: https://twitter.com/CTabatabaie/status/1801366762560360776
Not only did the Celtics post this clip, but @kporzee also added it on his IG story
Officially questionable.
View: https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1801368235326984558
#NEBHInjuryReport for tomorrow at Dallas: Kristaps Porzingis (left posterior tibialis dislocation) - QUESTIONABLE
View: https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1801368235326984558
#NEBHInjuryReport for tomorrow at Dallas: Kristaps Porzingis (left posterior tibialis dislocation) - QUESTIONABLE
I have to believe the team could say that Porzingis is coming off the bench and will be restricted to limited minutes, if the intention is to let him take the court at the end of a potential victory. Of course, KP may not be willing to do that, feeling that he should only be dressed if he's actually going to play meaningful minutes. And there are the purists will jump up and down and scream "misleading injury report"; FWIW, the Clippers and Knicks were each docked $25K for injury report violations in April.
Not sure the Mavs should be throwing stones after Luka's autopsy injury report earlier this week.
He certainly doesn't have to jump to get off his insane 27 foot 3 pointers. Defense is different, I know. I'd like to see that great smile of his on the court a couple - three more times this finals.
Yeah this is a little different as they can simply say that he’s available in an emergency. That covers a wide array of scenarios from being down 5 in the 4Q to having 9 players foul out. In this case all this talk of playing I’m guessing is simply more gamesmanship in giving Dallas an entirely different look to have to prepare for should be play. I’d expect nothing less. Joe is preparing for a G4 sweep as if it’s G7. No let down.
The Clippers had three players sit who were not on the injury report at all. So, kind of an injury report violation, but also probably a bit the 'we want the players to play' type of violation.
The Knicks listed Mitchell Robinson as 'out' but he ended up playing.
Both of these seem quite different than the KP situation.
My question is more of the variety of “can a player who is listed as ‘out’ sit on the bench in uniform?”
And a similar question is: "Even if he is too hurt to play, why can't they just list him as available but leave him on the bench for the entire game as a DNP like they often do with Walsh, Brissett, Kornet, etc.?" I assume there are rules against being able to do that, but I'm not sure.
EDIT: I mean, in theory a guy who can't play could at least take a foul shot if needed or just stand or put his hands up to try to block an in bounds pass the last 2 seconds or something. Just list him as available.
We know they can sit on the bench in civvies. I doubt the NBA going to tell them they can't wear a warmup suit over their designer street duds.
I don’t think there is a rule against it. We really don’t see this as it isn’t necessary and a coach would never ask (or want) someone not available to be in uniform and going through everything that those involved in the game would be doing. Basically we don’t see it bc it’s completely unnecessary and possibly even distracting. This game, of course, being a close out to the season isn’t your average game though so him being “available” in an emergency is something that we could easily get away with if Kristaps and Joe both wanted him in uniform but not playing.
I don't think they're going to run afoul of the league if they list him as questionable and then DNP - CD him but who knows with the NBA. The C's only had 14 of the possible 15 dressed in game 3 so it's not like he's taking a spot from a warm body.
Maybe the downgrade to "out" is more to avoid him hounding CJM like a kid who wants a treat at the grocery store.
Even though I deny that the 1986 WS ever happened, I have bad images of guys with bad wheels put into or left in games for sentimental reasons.
I love what KP brings, but sitting on the bench in game 4 and maybe playing of there is a 5 seems safer for everybody...
I love what KP brings, but sitting on the bench in game 4 and maybe playing of there is a 5 seems safer for everybody...
Funny, I sort of feel the opposite way. If there’s no long-term harm in his playing, why not try?
My heart kinda breaks for the guy because if he came back from his month-long layoff and finished the NBA Finals in good shape and healthy, he would probably be a force in this summer's FIBA tournaments - and Latvia, of all places, is hosting one of the four Olympic Qualifier Tournaments from July 2-7th, and hosts often win those. Their main competition there to make it to Paris is Brazil. So if he had played, he'd have had a solid chance to take Latvia to the Olympics and then play in it.
Latvia's team is ranked 6th in the world, having finished 5th in the FIBA World Cup last year without KP (and giving the eventual champions, Germany, as good a game in the QFs as the USA did in the semis, Germany winning both by 2). Their squad is captained by Davis Bertans' older brother. Davis, meanwhile, is the only other Latvian NBA player besides KP. A healthy or at least playable KP would take them from "could maybe still make the tournament" to "legit medal contender who would give the USA a real game". And their country is only 1.8 million people, it's absolute insanity for them to have even a golden generation that's able to compete at this level in a well-funded globalized team sport. Shit, even Lithuania is 5 million.
But from the sounds of it, Porzingis is headed for offseason surgery, unavailability during the international season, and a slow return in the fall. I wanted him to get the chance to represent his (basketball-mad) country at the highest-profile sporting event in the world, nearly as much as I wanted him to make an impact for the Cs in the Finals. He's only played in one final FIBA tournament - EuroBasket 2017, where he finished as the tournament's blocks leader but his team was ousted in the QFs by a rampaging Slovenia (Donka was 18, Goran Dragic actually was the team's star), who were the eventual champions. A combination of unlucky circumstances has kept him away just about ever since. How much would he have relished another shot at Doncic And Friends (though Slovenia has to still qualify too, at the qualifier hosted by Greece)? Or even to give his country something to remember him by for the rest of his days? He won't have many better chances than he would have this summer to do something legendary in international ball.
Latvia's team is ranked 6th in the world, having finished 5th in the FIBA World Cup last year without KP (and giving the eventual champions, Germany, as good a game in the QFs as the USA did in the semis, Germany winning both by 2). Their squad is captained by Davis Bertans' older brother. Davis, meanwhile, is the only other Latvian NBA player besides KP. A healthy or at least playable KP would take them from "could maybe still make the tournament" to "legit medal contender who would give the USA a real game". And their country is only 1.8 million people, it's absolute insanity for them to have even a golden generation that's able to compete at this level in a well-funded globalized team sport. Shit, even Lithuania is 5 million.
But from the sounds of it, Porzingis is headed for offseason surgery, unavailability during the international season, and a slow return in the fall. I wanted him to get the chance to represent his (basketball-mad) country at the highest-profile sporting event in the world, nearly as much as I wanted him to make an impact for the Cs in the Finals. He's only played in one final FIBA tournament - EuroBasket 2017, where he finished as the tournament's blocks leader but his team was ousted in the QFs by a rampaging Slovenia (Donka was 18, Goran Dragic actually was the team's star), who were the eventual champions. A combination of unlucky circumstances has kept him away just about ever since. How much would he have relished another shot at Doncic And Friends (though Slovenia has to still qualify too, at the qualifier hosted by Greece)? Or even to give his country something to remember him by for the rest of his days? He won't have many better chances than he would have this summer to do something legendary in international ball.
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Moving laterally is sort of important for basketball, I'd say
I want banner 19 and 20, thanks.
Injured players are at an increased risk for further injury, almost by definition.
I want banner 19 and 20, thanks.
Seems like he's still questionable.
View: https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1801660656489263137
New: Kristaps Porzingis was with the Celtics for shootaround this morning at AAC and will be testing out his leg before Game 4 with the team medical staff
View: https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1801660656489263137
New: Kristaps Porzingis was with the Celtics for shootaround this morning at AAC and will be testing out his leg before Game 4 with the team medical staff
This
I hope he can play a few minutes tonight and they close out the Mavs. All the rehab he has had to do over his career, all the work he had to put in, earned him the right to get on the court if he can play.
And here I thought KP was the spiritual descendant of '86 Bill Walton at the start of the Finals. Now we're talking Chuck Nevitt 2.0. What a difference a week makes.
Can you imagine the eruption if they were in Boston and at the 5 minute mark Mazzulla sent him up to the scorers table?