The Boston Celtics nearly won, even after an epic collapse and a record-bad shooting night from 3-point range.
And they did it despite Kristaps Porzingis playing just 13 minutes and not making a shot from the floor.
Porzingis left the game in the first half in an understated way and just never came back in.
The Celtics initially ruled him questionable to return with an illness, and he never got back in the game.
After Game 1, this is what Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had to say about the Latvian big guy:
“Obviously, it impacts the game with his ability on both ends of the floor… It’s not an excuse. We had plenty of opportunities. Hopefully he’s ready for Game 2.”
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That's not the most reassuring thing in the world.
But if Porzingis is indeed dealing with an illness, it's probably a tougher thing to predict recovery timeline from.
The Celtics could certainly use him, rather than having to rely so heavily on Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
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Porzingis adds a dimension of spacing and vertical ability that Boston's other centers don't.
Celtics fans will be hoping to get Porzingis back as soon as possible. They want to even this series right back up.
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