Top 10 moments from the Boston Celtics' 2024 championship run

7) Kristaps Porzingis’ epic first quarter of the NBA Finals

After missing more than a month of action with a calf strain, Porzingis returned to the court for Game 1 of the Finals in the most emphatic way imaginable. The Unicorn came off the bench and went bananas five minutes into his Finals debut. 

KP scored 11 points in seven minutes, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 1-of-2 from three. He capped off an unconscious quarter with an insane block on Josh Green, rejecting a fastbreak dunk to the tune of another amazing Mike Breen call.

“Here comes Josh Green,” Breen said. “One man to beat, but it’s a seven-footer! Who blocks it again!”

Porzingis led Boston to the largest lead ever held by a team after the first quarter of an NBA Finals Game 1. His efforts sent TD Garden into a frenzy as the Celtics ran away with the first game of the Finals as soon as Porzingis checked in.

KP kicked things off with an elbow midrange jumper before throwing down a huge slam less than two minutes later. He then hit another elbow jumper from the same spot to bring his scoring total to eight points in five minutes.

Soon after, the Latvian big man splashed a pull-up three in transition that brought every fan in the building to their feet. On the very next possession, Porzingis blocked a Kyrie Irving jumper. Less than a minute later, he followed that up with his unforgettable block on Green.

Porzingis may have missed Games 3 and 4 of the Finals with a leg injury, but Celtics fans will never forget one of the greatest first quarters in Finals history.