BOSTON — In the early stages of the fourth quarter in Game 2, Kristaps Porzingis took a nasty elbow to the head. Orlando Magic big man Goga Bitadze swung around and nailed him, causing Porzingis to fall to the ground in agony. A Celtics trainer immediately came onto the court, putting a towel over Porzingis’ head and leading the Latvian star back to the locker room.
After Bitadze’s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1, Porzingis came back onto the floor to shoot two free throws (he would not have been eligible to return to the game had someone else shot them). TD Garden erupted, and Porzingis shared the love. He was sporting a huge bandage on his forehead, and blood was still visible all over his head.
He shot 1-of-2 from the line before jogging back to the locker room once again. Play resumed, but before long, Porzingis was back, and the crowd was jumping once again. Pumping his fist in the air, Porzingis sat back on the bench, and eventually checked back into the game to help the Celtics close out a 109-100 win to take a 2-0 series lead.
Joe Mazzulla loved Kristaps Porzingis' response to ugly elbow to the head in Celtics-Magic Game 2
Joe Mazzulla couldn't get enough.
"I like watching him bleed on court,” Mazzulla said. “I think it's important. And then he comes back in and does his job.”
But outside of Mazzulla's maniacal mindset, he also looked at Porzingis' handling of the situation.
“I didn't see anything,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game. “Just knew he had to shoot the free throws if he wanted to come back in the game. And then he came back and helped us finish it off. So, appreciate his toughness.”
It was quite the dichotomy—a bloodied Porzingis donning a smile so wide it may have reached from Causeway Street to Fenway Park. Everyone in attendance was enthralled with the emotion pouring out of the Celtics center.
Porzingis has quickly become known for these overly dramatic moments. A Cody Martin shot to the face sent him back to the locker room earlier this month, but just as he was on Wednesday night, Porzingis rocked a huge grin and hyped up the crowd on his way off the floor.
Even during last year’s Finals, when Porzingis came back from his playoff-long injury, he enjoyed a WWE-style entrance so he could soak up the crowd’s reaction.
This fusion of hard-nosed basketball and absolute elation is what makes Porzingis special. And he makes the Celtics a better basketball team because of it.
“I like his overall just approach. I think you have an innate ability to take games very serious, and at the same time, have great perspective,” Mazzulla said. “And when you see how he handled that, I think he controls the environment very well with how he handles the crowd, and how he handles the physicality of it, and he can maintain his poise. He just has a great way about him, and I think that helps us.”