The Boston Celtics had a perfect opportunity to close the NBA Finals out in just four games.
Unfortunately, they seemed way too confident, and the Dallas Mavericks showed plenty of pride to extend the series to five games.
Notably, some of that also had to do with the fact that Kristaps Porzingis was out with an injury.
However, there was still a chance that he could’ve played in Game 4 if his team needed him.
Talking on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla admitted that he would’ve sent Porzingis to the court if there was a critical situation such as an offensive jump ball or to protect the rim for an inbound play or something like that (via Noa Dalzell).
Joe Mazzulla says the Celtics would have used Kristaps Porzingis in one of 4 or 5 different situations in Game 4, including for rim protection or a jump ball:
He admitted one of them was if they were winning:
"Just because he sacrificed his whole career."
(via @PardonMyTake) pic.twitter.com/bgAMK8I3zL
— Noa Dalzell
(@NoaDalzellNBA) June 19, 2024
(@NoaDalzellNBA) Mazzulla admitted that Porzingis was dealing with a serious injury, but given how hard he had worked to get back on the court, he would’ve rewarded him with at least a couple of seconds of playing time in the title-clinching game.
That wasn’t the case, as the Mavericks blew them out from start to finish.
Still, it allowed Porzingis to heal and get back on the floor for Game 5, and while he didn’t put up the most impressive numbers, just him being there was very emotional and inspirational for his teammates.
All players work their entire careers for that moment, and not many of them actually get the opportunity to play in the NBA Finals, so props to coach Mazzulla for taking care of his guys.
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