Kristaps Porzingis doesn't want the Boston Celtics to finish the job without him against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
During a Game 2 in which Boston finished the job in the fourth quarter with a 105-98 final, Porzingis appeared to reaggravate his soleus injury that kept him out from Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to Game 1 of the Finals.
But he assured reporters and anyone else listening post-game on June 9 that he would be out there in Game 3 under nearly any circumstances.
"I feel good. Obviously, something happened a little bit, but we have a couple days again," Porziņģis said (h/t Bleacher Report). "Believe me, we'll do everything we can to be back and moving well."
Porzingis even went as far as saying he'd die on the court.
Someone sounds motivated to put behind him the one team that made him look less like a star than any other stop.
Kristaps Porzingis successfully returned to Boston Celtics at ideal time
Suppose Porzingis's health continues to be a question mark and he ends up missing any Finals games. In that case, the emotional power of his Game 1 return -- a glorious night (20 points, six rebounds in 21 minutes) that had the TD Garden overjoyed -- will have left its mark on the rest of the series.
Nothing can take away Porzingis's first Finals minutes. His Game 2 (12 points, four rebounds in 23 minutes) didn't see that much of a fall-off. Banner 18 doesn't happen without him if it does happen.
You couldn't ask for a better spark for the Cs either. After nabbing the elusive sweep of the Indiana Pacers and having an 11-day layoff, Boston is bucking the trend of teams losing more often than they win with that much rest.
Porzingis was the spark that helped the team avoid any complacency. And he looks to continue that in Game 3 on his former homecourt.