Porzingis devastated by illness souring what may be end of his Celtics tenure

This year was supposed to be different.

The Boston Celtics don't raise Banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters without Kristaps Porzingis. He helped them earn home-court advantage through the playoffs. He then gutted through a foot injury requiring summer surgery to play a pivotal role in the NBA Finals.

That included registering 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in Game 1. The seven-foot-two center also overrode the Boston Celtics' medical staff to play in the championship-clincher. That night, he contributed five points and was a +8 in 16:05.

But after missing most of last postseason, Porzingis was looking forward to flanking his teammates in their quest to become the first team since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors to win consecutive NBA titles.

Unfortunately, a non-Covid illness, one it appears he has dealt with on and off since March, has zapped him of his energy, reducing the former All-Star to contributing a small fraction of his capabilities.

"I'm just not feeling my best," said Porzingis after Boston's 91-90 Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks. "It kills me inside that it's happening in this moment.

"What I'm super appreciative about is the support that I have on the inside. And also, probably from the fans. But especially here, inside the organization, in this tough moment for me, to not be able to be with the guys."

Porzingis finished Wednesday's loss, which has the Celtics trailing 2-0 heading to New York, with eight points and four rebounds in 14 minutes. He also struggled protecting the rim.

With his team desperate for reliable sources of scoring and faring 25/100 from beyond the arc in this series, the impact of his ineffectiveness is severe.

"It's tough for me, honestly, but who cares?" voiced Porzingis. "Nobody feels sorry for us, sorry for me, and we have to keep going."

Porzingis shares his perspective on a months-long battle

The Latvian native chatted with the media from inside a locker room again left shellshocked, as Boston blew another 20-point lead in the second half.

There, Porzingis shared that he believes what he's dealing with now is related to the non-Covid illness that forced him to miss multiple weeks in March and doesn't appear to have gone away.

"Probably," said Porzingis when asked if this is related to the previous illness. "I've had ups and downs up until this point. And I had a big crash now, and my energy, my everything hasn't been good, but who cares? I have to look forward and it will get better from this point on."

The Celtics hope that's true, but must be prepared to lean almost exclusively on Al Horford and Luke Kornet if it's not. Starting the former was the first sign that they are.

Kornet played 18 minutes to Porzingis's 14. The former was far more impactful. He set productive screens, provided effective on-ball and help defense, including preventing Jalen Brunson from maneuvering his way to the basket.

Kornet also chipped in six points and grabbed eight rebounds. Granted, he came off the bench and wasn't on the floor down the stretch, but he was a team-high +11.

As Porzingis tries to fight through illness, Game 2 was the latest example of why, as the Celtics navigate the second apron, repeater tax, and a more punitive collective bargaining agreement, there's a distinct possibility that regardless of how this playoff run goes, the former's playing his final games in green while re-signing the latter is an offseason priority.