Practice

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Taylor Snow

BOSTON – Kristaps Porzingis went through a full, moderate practice with the Celtics Saturday morning and he appears to be getting back into the swing of things according to his peers.

Joe Mazzulla, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday all reported on the progress they’ve seen out of their 7-foot-3 center, who has been sidelined since the middle of Round 1 with a calf strain. And they expressed nothing but optimism regarding him being ready for their NBA Finals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

“He’s been working extremely hard just to get back and to help us in any way he can,” White said of Porzingis’ impending return. “So obviously these practices and these reps are going to be good. It’s a little bit different than what Al [Horford] and obviously what Luke [Kornet] and [Xavier Tillman] do, so some aspects might be a little bit different. But any chance you can add a guy like KP, and he’s just willing to do whatever we need, he’ll make it easy.”

The Celtics are a totally different team with a healthy KP, and that’s part of the reason why they’ve been so deliberate in ramping him back up so that he’s at 100 percent health at the opportune time.

“When KP’s at his best, he’s been tremendous for us,” said Mazzulla. “We expect that from him and we know he’ll give that to us.”

What he gives them is another 20-point scorer whose length and versatility change the dynamic of the offense.

Then on defense, he provides elite rim protection, which could be critical against Dallas’ prolific scoring.

“He’s shown the ability to be flexible, to be in touch, to switch, to rotate, so he’s just got to be willing to do whatever it takes, which he has done and our defense has done,” said Mazzulla. “And to have an understanding that this is a high-powered offensive team and they test you. Same with Indiana – the way they test you emotionally, they test you discipline-wise, they test what you’re willing to give up. And so you’ve got to stay firm in that and you’ve got stay simple, yet flexible.”

Porzingis’ flexibility is part of what made him so valuable this season, according to Tatum.

“KP essentially did exactly what we needed him to do the entire season,” said JT, “whether it was punishing switches or space the 5-man, being in the corner. Sometimes that might be going possessions without touching the ball, or it may be when they're switching, we give him the ball five times in a row. Joe talks about everybody's just open-mindedness to whatever we're trying to do. We switch things up a lot and we have so many talented, gifted players on the offensive and defensive end. Everybody's just got to be open to trying different things. And I give KP a lot of credit, especially for somebody as talented as he is and obviously as tall as he is. A lot of the big guys may be stuck in their ways doing what makes them comfortable. He got outside his comfort zone a little bit and it made us a better team.”

It's easy to see why the Celtics are so thrilled to get Porzingis back after everything he’s provided them with this season. And Holiday thinks his transition back into the flow of things will be seamless.

“KP is one of the best scorers, he’s one of our best rim protectors, and I feel like we're all mature enough to get back in the groove or have him fit right back in whenever he comes back,” Holiday said. “We want KP back. Like, we can't wait for him to be back and be a part of this on the court.”

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Celtics Excited to See Porzingis Getting Back into Swing of Things

BOSTON – There was a significant discrepancy in experience when the Boston Celtics faced off against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals two seasons ago. Most of Golden State’s core had been to multiple championship rounds, while zero members of Boston’s core had previously made it that far.

In the end, the more experienced team prevailed.

In this year’s Finals, Boston finds itself in a different situation. Most of that 2022 core remains intact and has the experience of its prior trip to lean on. Meanwhile, its opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, has very little Finals experience on its roster that it can tap into leading up to Game 1 on June 6.

While experience isn’t everything, it plays a more significant role as the playoffs go deeper. And Al Horford is certain that it will be beneficial for this Celtics group in the weeks ahead.

“I think it is gonna help tremendously,” Horford said Friday afternoon. “Because the first time, it felt like a roller coaster. Just a lot going on: the increased coverage of media, all the responsibilities that we had, and just everything that came with it. So I just think that this time around, we all have an understanding. We know what things are like, and I feel like we'll be able to manage everything better.”

Boston’s preparation for the Finals began long before this week; it started last summer.

There’s a certain mindset that a contender has to adopt all the way from the beginning if it hopes to reach its ultimate goal. Horford believes his team has the right framework in place, which it began building before the season started.

“We've established consistency and hard work, and we've tried to embody what being a Celtic is about,” said the 17-year vet. “From the beginning of camp and from before camp, even in September when we were doing voluntary workouts here, we were just consistent. Everybody's coming in here, everybody's working, we're all getting together. What do we want our legacy to be? I think it has to be the consistent, hardworking team. We're playing for each other, we have really enjoyed being in this space, and I feel like that's&nbsp;what we're about.”

Consistency and hard work are the keys to getting over the hump and winning the Finals. One player in the locker room can attest to that: Jrue Holiday, who is only three years removed from capturing a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.

“It takes everything,” said the veteran point guard. “I think it's one of the hardest things I've ever done. Mentally, physically, you're exhausted. Teams know each other so well, at this point, it's kind of about making plays. It's about executing.”

And it’s about not giving up no matter how tired you become.

“The biggest thing is just how exhausted you were, or how exhausted I was because I left everything on the floor,” Holiday said. “We were down 0-2. I think even having the feeling of encouragement like, 'It's not over.' But I think it's because my team had the mentality of it's not over until we say it's over. I think being able to go out there and fight and leave everything out on the court, you have the best chance of getting that win.”

Holiday’s experience alone is invaluable for this group, because he can provide the right leadership to get them through any hard times that may lie ahead. Combining his knowledge with that of players who went through the 2022 Finals should give Boston the confidence to navigate through this final round.

“We have a bunch of different guys, different players and coaches that have been in different atmospheres,” said coach Joe Mazzulla. “So just relying on each guy’s experience and each guy’s expertise and what each guy has been through, and try to use it for us to execute together.”

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Boston Leaning on Past Experience to Navigate the 2024 NBA Finals

BOSTON – After making quick work of the Indiana Pacers in a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics are in the midst of an unprecedented nine-day game-less stretch leading up to the NBA Finals.

Having ample rest can lead to two different results: a team could either be disadvantaged by growing rusty during such a stretch, or they could use the time to their advantage to keep their minds and bodies sharp so that they are raring to go by the June 6 start date.

Coach Joe Mazzulla is doing his best to make sure his team uses its time properly so that it can fall into the latter category.

“Anything can be good or bad for you, depending on how you use it,” Mazzulla told reporters Thursday morning. “Time could be good, it could be bad – everything goes into how you use it, how you weaponize it. So we’re weaponizing our time right now.”

Part of the weaponizing process is for the team to assess all recent experiences and to figure out what, if any, adjustments need to be made. This is why it’s been so important for the Celtics to win in so many different ways throughout their playoff run; they’ve won blowouts, they’ve won close games, they’ve won comebacks, they’ve won in the comfort of their home, and they’ve won in hostile environments (in fact, they haven’t lost on the road yet.)

“The ability to win different ways is very important,” said Mazzulla. “Executing, playing from behind, protecting leads – any time you can find different ways to win, I think it’s important. And in the late games, I just saw our attention to detail defensively, I saw a level of poise, and I saw a heightened awareness to execution, which is the most important thing. And at the end of the day, you’ve gotta make plays, so our guys made the necessary plays to win on both ends of the floor.”

All of those experiences come into play as they prepare for the final stage. But only if they utilize them properly.

“[Those experiences] are only valuable if you use them to your advantage in the next opportunity that you have,” Mazzulla said. “Nothing is really valuable if you let it go to waste. So between now and June 6, we have to take every experience that we've been through, and we're going to make sure we take advantage of it and that we utilize it to put ourselves in the best position to win.”

Friday will mark the team’s first official organized practice leading into the Finals. It’s possible that by then they’ll know who they’ll be playing in the next round if Dallas can finish off Minnesota on Thursday night. If not, the focal point doesn’t change much, because the most important emphasis for the C’s is focusing on themselves.

“Practice is all about the details and the margins, so making sure we get better as a team, making sure we get better offensively and defensively, making sure we understand our situational philosophies and situational execution, things that go into winning,” Mazzulla said. “The same things we’ve been doing all year. Those would be the points of emphasis. And so I think, regardless of who wins (the Dallas-Minnesota series), we’ve gotta get better.”

They’ve got to get better and be at their best by June 6.

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Celtics ‘Weaponizing’ Their Time in Preparation for Finals

BOSTON – The best defensive backcourt in the league earned its flowers Tuesday when Jrue Holiday and Derrick White were selected to the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team.

It marked Holiday's sixth All-Defensive recognition, as he earned six First Team votes and 24 for the Second Team. For White, it was his second All-Defensive honor after also making the Second Team last season, earning 15 First Team votes and 68 Second Team votes.

Together, Holiday and White helped lead Boston to a defensive rating of 110.6, which was the second-best mark in the NBA behind Minnesota (108.4).

“Effort and versatility,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzullasaid when asked about Holiday and White’s impact shortly after the All-Defense announcement. “They have the ability to guard different guys in pick-and-roll coverages, pick-and-roll isolation, off-ball screens. They’re just two versatile guys you can put on different matchups and different schemes with them and different lineup flexibility.”

Other Celtics who received votes were Jaylen Brown (three First Team and one Second Team) and Jayson Tatum (two Second Team).

The First Team consisted of Heat center Bam Adebayo, Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Pelicans forward Herb Jones, and Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.

Joining Holiday and White on the Second Team were Bulls guard Alex Caruso, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, and Magic guard Jalen Suggs.

This was the first year in which there were no positional requirements for each team, hence the frontcourt-heavy First Team.

With that being said, Holiday and White both made solid individual cases for the First Team.

White was the leading shot-blocker among qualified NBA guards this season, averaging 1.2 swats per game. His 87 blocks were the fourth-most in a single season all-time among players under 6-foot-5.

White also averaged the most contested shots (6.6) among qualified NBA guards. He had the second-best plus/minus (plus-319)in the league behind Nikola Jokic. And he had the third-best net rating (12.5) in the NBA behind teammates Sam Hauser (14.2) and Payton Pritchard (13.6).

Holiday’s impact was less stat-based and more focused on his overall presence. He is always in the right place at the right time, constantly moving and providing help, and making his teammates’s jobs easier on that end.

“It's been amazing playing with him,” White said of Holiday following Wednesday’s practice. Obviously, playing against him, you know what kind of defender he is, but just seeing it night in and night out and just the way that he impacts the game without touching the basketball, he's a special player and it's really nice to have him on our team. He just makes up for any mistakes that anybody makes. Jrue’s usually there to make up for it. I don't know how many All-Defense teams he’s made but he probably needs more because he's unreal.”

How Holiday and White complemented each other on the defensive end played a major role in the Celtics winning 64 regular-season games as well as their 9-2 postseason record.

Luke Kornet believes Boston would be nowhere near as successful as it has been if it weren’t for those two.

“There are some games where just the ability for one of them to pick up full-court or make some plays in a disadvantaged situation, I feel like it just sets the tone for everyone else defensively when you're seeing how hard they're going to work just to kind of get it into place to operate,” said the backup center. “We wouldn't be close to where we are without them and the impact that they have on that side of the ball.”

Holiday and White shared so much of the load on that side of the ball, so it’s only right that they share the honor of earning All-Defense as a tandem.

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Holiday, White Earn All-Defense Nods After Anchoring East’s Top D

BOSTON – Luke Kornet brought the bark and the bite to Game 1 Tuesday night, serving as a spark off the bench in Boston’s 120-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 7-foot-2 backup center walked the walk with 10 rebounds, including six on the offense end, to go along with four points, two assists, and two blocked shots in 21 minutes of action.

And he talked the talk – or barked the bark – bellowing like a beagle after one particular offensive board late in the second quarter to the delight of both his teammates and the crowd at TD Garden.

“That’s just the dog in him,” Jrue Holiday described Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve got a bunch of dogs on this team, and he’s the big dog.”

Kornet has always been an emotional contributor, whether he is playing or not. He’s one of the loudest, more supportive members of the bench mob. And when he’s in the game, he consistently creates joy from his efforts, often leading to hilarious celebrations.

Payton Pritchard, for one, can’t get enough of Kornet’s blazing personality.

“I told Luke today, I like it when he shows emotion,” said the reserve point guard. “The crowd likes it too and we all like it. Basketball games should be played with emotion and with fire, and we want more of that.”

Holiday agrees, noting how contagious Kornet’s competitive fire is.

“I think it’s just something that's in us, really,” Holiday said. “Luke just helps us bring it out.”

However, Kornet is far more than just a personality. He is proving to be a legitimate contributor to this championship-contending squad, especially now that he’s being asked to step up and help fill the void of injured Kristaps Porzingis.

He is a force on the offensive glass, a strong rim-protector, a solid decision-maker, a fearless screener, and has a valuable basketball IQ overall.

“Luke reads the game, he’s an intelligent basketball player,” said Jaylen Brown. “He knows the right reads at the right time. And when he’s playing well, he’s not thinking; he’s just out there playing. He’s a 7-footer, so he contests shots at the rim and does a good job of just doing his job day in and day out, and that’s what we need. Luke has been a great benefit this whole year, but I’m looking forward to him stepping up and making big plays in the playoffs with Porzingis being out.”

Kornet’s recent play has been consistent with the other occasions when he’s been asked to step up throughout the season. In other words, Luke is no fluke.

He led the league in true shooting percentage, second in effective field-goal percentage, third in shot contests per 36 minutes, fourth in net rating, fifth in offensive rating, and sixth in offensive rebound percentage.

Plus, his presence brings a different dynamic to how Boston can operate, says head coach Joe Mazzulla.

“When he's on the floor, our spacing is different and he generates some good looks for us because of his ability to freelance and make reads on the offensive end,” Mazzulla said. “Between that and, I thought his pick-and-roll defense was good. He's been good for us all year and he's got to continue to be physical on both ends of the floor.”

And he’s got to continue to match his competitive bark with his ferocious bite.

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Kornet Bringing Both Bark and Bite to the Playoffs

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics were finally able to shift all of their focus to Cleveland after the Cavaliers advanced past Orlando with a Game 7 win Sunday afternoon.

Preparation was underway at Monday’s practice in Brighton, where the C’s highlighted some key areas they’ll need to hone in on against their second-round opponent, starting with Game 1 Tuesday night.

Cleveland’s most obvious strength lies in its backcourt, consisting of a superstar shooting guard in Donovan Mitchell and former All-Star point guard in Darius Garland. Those two will be a handful for Boston’s perimeter defenders, such as Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White, neither of whom can take on the challenges alone.

“Both are incredibly talented guards,” said White. “They’re quick, can shoot it, can score from all three levels, so definitely a difficult challenge. You’ve gotta take that individual pride and take on the challenge and then understand that it's not a one-on-one game. Everybody's gotta be a participant and help each other out.”

Especially when it comes to guarding Mitchell. The five-time All-Star scored 89 points combined in Game 6 and 7 against Orlando, including a 50-piece Game 6 on the road.

“Donovan is just an explosive, strong, three-level scorer,” said Brown. “I think his strength gives him an advantage on a lot of defenders. And the way he changes direction… he’s a good basketball player.”

As good as MItchell is, Joe Mazzulla says the team can’t afford to put too much attention on him because they also have to account for his talented supporting cast.

“You have to pick your poison,” Boston’s head coach said. “It’s gotta be disciplined, but when you’re playing against guys like him and a team that has dynamic guards it usually comes down to the other things. It comes down to the impact that (Caris) LeVert, (Max) Strus, (Evan) Mobley, (Isaac) Okoro, those guys have. Transition defense, offensive rebounds, turnovers – just really all of the details in the margins that we talked about in the last series kinda go under-shadowed when you see a caliber player like a Garland or a Mitchell. It still comes down to the margins and the details in this one.”

Another key detail will be spacing. Cleveland boasts a defensively gifted frontcourt of Mobley and Jarrett Allen (who was sidelined the last three games with a rib injury), so it’s imperative that Boston’s shooters try to space those guys out.

“The spacing is important and rim reads are really important,” Mazzulla said. “They have length on the perimeter too with active hands and they’ve got length in their rim protection, so space discipline and making the right read over and over again are two important things to combat their length.”&nbsp;

And the most important focus is to combat Cleveland’s competitiveness. The Cavs ground out some gritty wins against the Magic last round, none more impressive than their 18-point come-from-behind win in Game 7. 

“Cleveland is a tough team,” said Mazzulla. “One of the things they do well is an ability to go on runs with their talent and also their effort and their defense. So, managing the game is super important because they have the ability to really make you pay for the mistakes that you make. And I thought they did a good job of that, especially in Game 7, so it’s good to focus on the details that are important, attacking and defending them, and being ready to go tomorrow.”

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Celtics Highlight Key Prep Points Ahead of Cavs Series

BOSTON – Kristaps Porzingis revealed Saturday that his recovery time will likely be “week-to-week” after straining his right soleus during Game 4 of the first round. However, the Celtics big man is in good spirits as he goes through the early stages of rehab and hopes to “recover at a historic rate,” so that he can return as soon as possible.

“It’s something; it's not nothing,” Porzingis bluntly stated of the nature of his injury. “So it will take a little bit of time, for sure. But I’m doing everything I can to speed it up because I want to be back out there as soon as possible. But also understanding the worst thing would be probably to re-aggravate that, so being smart about it.”

Porzingis suffered the calf injury late in the second quarter of Boston’s Game 4 win and believes it may have stemmed from tweaking his ankle on the previous possession.

“I rolled my ankle the play before on offense,” he recalled. “I was going for a rebound and I stepped on (Tyler) Herro and rolled my ankle. Came back, maybe started to compensate with the other&nbsp;side a little bit too much or something, I don't know. Maybe just happened. And then yeah, as soon as I pushed off, I felt something. And you saw my reaction on the court.”

Porzingis immediately limped off the court and threw a towel over his head in frustration. It was a difficult moment, as he had been looking forward to taking part in Boston's full playoff run ever since joining the team last summer.

“I'm not gonna lie, it's tough,” he said. "First few moments were really tough. It gets you down for a second. But it is what it is. It's part of the sport and these things happen and the best I can do now, is I have to do to get healthy as soon as possible and follow the plan and make sure I do everything and just get in that mindset because I can't change what happened in the game. So just looking forward to making quick steps forward toward being back on the court.”

There’s a bit of a process that Porzingis has to go through before returning to the court, which he described after watching his teammates go through Saturday’s practice.

“First you just control the inflammation and start to do some movements and stuff without stressing it too much,” he said. “And today I had a pretty good day. Made some steps forward, started doing new stuff today. Tomorrow I'll be off, do some recovery stuff and then Monday I think, again, I will make a big jump.”

Porzingis went through a similar rehab process earlier in the season. He strained his left calf during a November matchup with the Orlando Magic and missed the following four games over two weeks. However, he says this strain is a bit more serious than the first one.

"This one is stronger, a little&nbsp;bit worse for sure,” he said. &nbsp;“Just going to take a little bit longer but keeping a positive mindset."

Fortunately, part of Porzingis’ recovery is taking place during a six-day break between Game 5 of the first round and Game 1 of the East semis, so he’s not missing anything besides practice at the moment.

Boston will begin Round 2 Tuesday night against the winner of the Orlando/Cleveland series. By then, KP will be eight days into his recovery, and will likely need a bit more time to heal after that. But he will be aiming to return the court as quickly and safely as possible so that he can help complete the job that he came here to accomplish.

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KP Hopes to ‘Recover at a Historic Rate’ as He Works Through Calf Rehab

BOSTON – When Kristaps Porzingis suffered a calf strain during Game 4 of the first round, it was a devastating blow for the Boston Celtics. Fortunately, their roster is built to sustain such adversity, and Al Horford’s presence is a major reason.

Horford stepped into Porzingis’ starting role in Game 5 and helped the Celtics knock out the Miami Heat with a 118-84 win. And he’s prepared to continue to step up during the indefinite timeframe that Porzingis remains out.

For a 17-year vet who has started more than 1,200 games in his regular season and playoff career, there couldn’t be a much better option than Horford, and a situation such as this is exactly what his sixth-man role calls for.

“I think that from experience over the years, you would like for everything to go super smooth, but that’s not always the case,” Horford said following Friday’s practice. “My preparation just doesn't change. Every day, I feel like I'm very consistent in my approach, in the things that I need to do, and I just think now that maybe more will be asked of me. But I'm still going about it the same way, so I don't think there's anything that I really need to alter or do. We've been very consistent with our work all season and I feel like it’s not going to be any different now.”

Horford was a sparkplug during Boston’s 34-point blowout, providing hustle plays while pumping up both his teammates and the crowd. His peers recognize how valuable of a catalyst he can be, seeing his energy affects everyone around him.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla noted after Game 5 how “Al kind of sets the temperature for us with just his ability to impact the game basketball-wise, but also with his personality and his aggressiveness. He set the table for us tonight, he set the tone for us, and everybody followed suit.”

Horford sets the tone with a lead-by-example style. He’s the embodiment of consistency and his approach never wavers regardless of whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.  

“I want to make sure that defensively I’m solid, that I’m giving support to the group, and that I'm doing the things that I need to do on that end,” he said. “My job doesn’t change. And then on offense, continuing to stay ready and do whatever I need to do. For me, it's just all about continuing to impact winning, so it doesn't change.”

The only difference now is that he’s starting, which also means that other bigs will have to fill in the gaps behind him.

“I'm expecting some of our guys to step up – whether it’s Luke (Kornet), whether it’s Neemi (Neemias Queta), whether it’s Xavier (Tillman Sr.) – to step up and be able to play minutes for us when their number is called. That's something that I’m excited about: for their opportunity.”

Likewise, Horford’s teammates are excited to see what he’s going to bring in his elevated role, as he often tends to rise to the occasion in the playoffs.

“He’s our OG, the truest pro,” Payton Pritchard said. “How he handles himself is unbelievable. I’ve watched him on the daily, how he goes about his work and his mentality. So he’s a big part of this.”