BOSTON — The power within the constructing was palpable from the second TD Backyard’s doorways first cracked open.
On the second evening of a Celtics back-to-back, and after lacking the primary 17 video games of the NBA season, Kristaps Porzingis was slated to make his highly-anticipated return.
“I’ve been trying ahead to this all day,” mentioned one of many area’s safety guards at 4:30 pm, greater than three hours earlier than tip-off vs the Clippers.
“Now the season actually begins,” mentioned one other.
In some methods, Porzingis’s return got here as a shock. Only a day earlier, Joe Mazzulla wouldn’t reveal whether or not the large man was cleared for basketball motion, and preliminary timelines positioned his return someday in December.
Plus, the Celtics didn’t want him again, a minimum of not on paper. The defending champions entered Monday evening with the NBA’s second-best document (14-3), and having outscored opponents by 9.4 factors per recreation, the third-best mark within the league.
The whole lot was on observe. Whereas backup middle Neemias Queta confronted some defensive hiccups, he and Luke Kornet had collectively gotten the job performed in Porzingis’s absence.
However, why maintain off if he was able to go? Porzingis scrimmaged with the Maine Celtics final week, and once more in Washington DC on Friday, Brad Stevens confirmed on NBC Sports activities Boston’s broadcast on Monday evening.
And, Porzingis himself revelead he had constantly been forward of his rehab schedule since his June surgical procedure.
“I used to be forward of it on a regular basis,” mentioned a beaming Porzingis postgame. “I used to be itching to do extra — begin extra sprints, contact, 1-on-1. I used to be all the time asking the medical workers to do extra.”
So, 5 months after surgical procedure to restore a torn medial retinaculum in his left leg, the 7’2 Latvian middle — described by Jayson Tatum as a “cheat code” final week — was again in motion.
In his 23-minute return, Porzingis scored 16 factors on 6-12 capturing, grabbed 6 rebounds, and blocked 2 pictures. He dramatically altered the Clippers’ paint makes an attempt, serving to anchor a visibly improved Celtics protection that held Los Angeles to simply 94 factors, all whereas reminding town of Boston of his multi-faceted influence on the offensive finish.
However, maybe much more vital than his on-court influence, Porzingis infused the Celtics with power and pleasure. When he got here out on the ground for pregame warmups, he emphatically pointed his fist towards the keen crowd, lingering just a few additional moments in entrance of the bleachers to soak up the ocean of inexperienced.
All through the sport, he may hardly sit nonetheless on the bench, rising to his toes to rejoice Neemias Queta dunks and Payton Pritchard threes, treating every basket as if it was a game-winner. He shortly illustrated how his rim deterrence and skill to stretch the ground will influence the staff, but in addition reminded the world that it’s largely his charisma and power that made town of Boston fall in love with him.
After the Celtics’ 126-94 win, Joe Mazzulla was requested whether or not he felt Porzingis offered the staff with an emotional raise.
“No query. He’s only a high-level persona,” Mazzulla mentioned. “We constructed an identification with him final yr. The blokes have been excited to get him again, we have been able to have him again. Between his persona — after which every man likes enjoying with him due to how he performs.”
Jaylen Brown echoed that sentiment, and credited Porzingis with serving to him get one among his first profitable back-door cuts of the season.
“He’s all the time on the lookout for me,” Brown mentioned, whose friendship with Porzingis has been well-chronicled. “I used to get a back-cut a number of instances each recreation, straightforward baskets that assist get you going. I possibly bought one or two this entire season. However KP coming again? I get one within the first play.”
Brown, usually all enterprise on the podium, broke into a smile and declared “Cookies and Cream is again!” in the midst of his postgame press convention.
Kristaps Porzingis’s dramatic entrance set the tone for the evening
Porzingis didn’t enter the ground with the remainder of the Celtics earlier than tip-off. As an alternative, he practically glided out 10 minutes later, recreating his well-known WWE-style entrance from Sport 1 of the NBA Finals.
As he made his means by the gamers’ tunnel, and fist-bumped staff personnel with a drink in hand, the Backyard crowd raucously cheered, eyes glued to the jumbotron.
“Did you see his stroll out?” Brown mentioned when requested about Porzingis’s emotional influence on the staff. “That’s simply him. He brings that swagger to our staff, that power. It was nice to have him again on the market.”
Payton Pritchard, who continued his Sixth Man of the 12 months marketing campaign with a 20-point, 4-assist outing — known as the large man’s return “superb.”
“The walk-out was unimaginable,” mentioned Pritchard. “That energized us.”
Fittingly, Porzingis hit the Celtics’ first shot of the evening. He additionally tried Boston’s first three subject targets, although Mazzulla mentioned that wasn’t by design, however fairly a results of his gamers’ making the proper learn.
The fact is that the Celtics most likely would have gained with out Porzingis, too. A 51-point second quarter, headlined by 12 three-pointers, blew the sport open. Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Brown, Pritchard, and Queta all scored within the double-figures, whereas the Celtics bench shot 10 of 15 from three on the evening.
However, Porzingis’s presence made this win really feel totally different. The thrill round his return didn’t look like a brief power, however fairly one thing that may loom over the staff shifting ahead.
Jaylen Brown maybe captured the sensation finest.
“KP is a legend,” he mentioned.
