This will be The Kristaps Porzingis Game.
I fully admit that this is an attempt to speak this into existence. I’m not above trying to conjure the spirits of Celtics old or praying to the basketball gods for a little rain. We need this. I need this.
Let tonight be one of those playoff nights that Porzingis has his breath; we’ve been holding ours for nearly a year since his masterful return in Game 1 of the 2024 Finals. It seems so cruel that Kristaps, who arguably loves being a thread in the fabric of this franchise more than anyone we’ve seen in a long time, has been robbed of two straight opportunities to deliver in the postseason with both a rare foot injury and a mysterious illness.
It’s not like this is an unrealistic request. Remember that this is the Kristaps Porzingis that gave the Knicks fits this season. In an overtime thriller at Madison Square Garden just last month, he scored 34 points and shot 8-of-13 from behind the arc.
I’m not even asking for that level of a miracle. Just let him be out there. We don’t need him to score 30+ or hit a bunch of threes. With whatever energy he’s got tonight, let him have a flurry — a block and an and-1 and maybe a pick-and-pop three that he and Tatum connected on so many times in the past.
Game 5’s emotional win tamped down a lot of the talk about a post-Tatum era and what next year might look like. I’m not ready for that. Frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever be. But for now, I just want a reminder to everybody just how much Porzingis unlocks this roster. Sure, they raised Banner 18 largely without him in April and May, but they also ran roughshod through the entire NBA in to back-to-back 60-plus win regular seasons.
To the writers of history and the fates, give him a chance to flip the narrative and write the last chapters of this storybook. Nine years ago, Porzingis was drafted #4 behind the 2015 top-overall pick, Karl-Anthony Towns. There’s a poetry with how this has all played out with the local kid coming come to play for his hometown Knicks and former coach. I love that for Towns and Thibs.
But on the other side of providence’s coin is Porzingis. So far, this hasn’t been the duel of unicorns that would have made this an epic battle. KAT has certainly been a force. No doubt. Porzingis hasn’t been as lucky.
His skillset has never been in question. At his best, he’s one of the league’s best shooting big men, a matchup nightmare in the post, and a defensive anchor as a rim protector. With rumors swirling that he could be a cap cut this summer, at least give him this reprieve and maybe the boo birds will take pause before hitting the trade machine.
If there’s ever a time for clear lungs and full hearts, it’s tonight. Get us to Game 7, KP.
