The Boston Celtics have been without Kristaps Porzingis since round one of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Despite missing their starting center, they’ve blazed past teams and have already secured their trip to the finals. Now, Porzingis is preparing to make his way back onto the court to finish things off with the team.
Tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks are facing off in game four of the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks have the opportunity to complete the sweep while the Timberwolves are clinging on to their last hope. Which team will make it to the Finals and have to face off against the Boston Celtics and a ready-to-go Unicorn?
What Kristaps Porzingis Return Does For Boston Celtics
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Due to Porzingis’s absence, it has fallen on the shoulders of Al Horford, who has to battle it out in the paint. Horford has done an amazing job, but it’s time to acknowledge that Al needs rest. The veteran has been pushing himself to his limit to ensure his team gets another trip to the Finals. The return of the Unicorn would give Horford the chance to rest up.
Kristaps Porzingis is also a scoring nightmare for teams. The Boston Celtics seven-footer can knock down shots from behind the arch and in field goal range. He’s also dangerous in the paint thanks to his height advantage. All of this has earned him the Unicorn title.
Also Read: Boston Celtics Will Be Without Essential Player For Crucial Game 5
How Do Dallas Mavericks Deal With Porzingis?
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Center Daniel Gafford would most likely be the man assigned to Kristaps Porzingis. The young center stands at 6’10”, giving Porzingis some height advantage over him. However, Gafford has the muscle to push KP around in the paint. He’s been a solid rebounder all year for this Mavs team, and he could wrestle well with the bigger Celtics center if he utilizes his strength.
P.J. Washington and Dereck Livley II (if he is healthy) would also probably be put on Porzingis. Lively has had some fantastic defensive blocks over the past few games. Thanks to the spring in his step he’s able to get high above his competition. Porzingis could have trouble guarding the quick Lively, who has the ability to fly high and slam down dunks out of nowhere.
Also Read: Dallas Mavericks: Luka Magic Comes In Clutch To Take 2-0 Lead
Minnesota Timberwolves Possible Porzingis Plan
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Although it looks like the Minnesota Timberwolves will be packing their bags soon, they might actually be better suited to deal with the Celtics’ big man. They have the height of Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid. This could be a consistent rotation being put on Kristaps Porzingis to constantly have him locked down. They also have Jaden McDaniels, who has been playing some fantastic defense for the T-Wolves.
This defense could actually be deadly against Porzingis. Keep a big rotation on him and completely seal him off from the paint. Let him shoot his threes, and if he gets hot, you can start to worry about that. However, if he isn’t knocking them down, he’ll have to try his luck against the rim-protecting giants.
Also Read: Minnesota Timberwolves: Center Joins Elite Company With 2 Notable NBA Legends
About the Author
Elizabeth is an avid watcher of all thing’s sports. However, the Boston sports teams will always be her number one. Her favorite sport to watch is basketball, but she also enjoys professional wrestling, soccer, and baseball. She also loves writing about anything ranging from sports articles, short stories, and poems. She hopes to one day write her own sci-fi series and adventure series. You can find her on X @edellapiana1 to check out more content.
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