Kristaps Porzingis' availability for Game 3 and the rest of the Finals has come into question.
The one-time All-Star appeared to tweak his right leg in the closing minutes of Game 2. The team then issued a press release Tuesday stating that he had suffered a left leg injury as well. The expectation is that he will be listed day-to-day.
Porzingis wants to play. When asked about the injury after Game 2, he told reporters, "I'll die out there if we need." But the decision may be taken out of his hands.
If Porzingis isn't good to go, then it could totally change the tenor of the Finals. The Celtics looked well below their ceiling in earlier rounds without him. He's been immensely valuable — he's tied with Jayson Tatum for the second-highest plus-minus on the team at plus-25 in the Finals.
Here's why the Celtics might be in trouble if Porzingis is not at full strength.
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Kristaps Porzingis makes the Celtics a different team
The Mavs defense will get a lot better without Porzingis
The Celtics have had a ton of success in driving the ball throughout the first two games of the playoffs. Luka Doncic has not been able to keep defenders in front of him, and Boston has shot a scorching 83.3 percent at the rim during the Finals.
That is an absurdly high number for a Mavericks opponent. The Wolves shot just 64.5 percent and the Thunder were at 64.7 percent during the previous two rounds.
The reason for Boston's success on layups is that Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford have been neutralized as defenders in this series. They've had to be pulled out farther from the paint because of how dangerous of a shooter Porzingis is.
Jrue Holiday was easily able to finish this layup over P.J. Washington, for example, and went 9-of-9 on shots in the paint during Game 2.
The Mavs were able to get to the Finals because of how strong that rim protection was. Each of their previous series featured at least one weak 3-point shooter that they could hide their rim protectors on, allowing them to keep an eye on the paint.
If Porzingis is out, then Luke Kornet will have to re-enter the rotation. That gives Dallas another spot to stash their big men and return to their elite defense of previous rounds. Al Horford is a good shooter too, but not at the level of Porzingis. More minutes for him will also give the Mavs freedom to send more help at the rim.
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The Mavs can play more varied defensive schemes without Porzingis
Porzingis has absolutely destroyed the Mavs on switches. Kyrie Irving has had zero chance against him in those matchups. The Celtics have prioritized getting him the ball in the post around the free throw line whenever he has a smaller guy on him, and that has been the main reason why he's been shooting 76.9 percent on his 2-pointers.
Horford is not nearly the post-up threat that Porzingis is, nor is Kornet. The Mavs will live with those possessions.
Porzingis is also a natural zone buster because of how easy it is to get him into the soft spot right in the middle of the floor. The Mavs used a 2-3 zone earlier in the playoffs but have mostly avoided it due to that reason. They will have the option of sprinkling it in more if he's not good to go.
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The Mavs will be able to score more easily with Porzingis out
Porzingis has been an elite rim protector through the first two games of the playoffs, averaging 2.5 blocks per game. He's also helped shut the water off the Mavs' lob attack because his 7-foot-6 wingspan closes off those passing windows. The Celtics don't have a big man on their roster with that same level of shot blocking ability.
Dallas needs to up their offense in order to compete in this series as it has failed to crack the 100-point barrier in two games. The Celtics have stashed Porzingis on Washington or Derrick Jones Jr., the latter of which has been a complete zero scoring-wise. When Jones has tried to challenge Porzingis at the rim, it hasn't gone well.
Dallas has averaged just 93.5 points per game during the Finals. That's 17.9 points less than they scored against the No. 1 defense in the league in the Wolves in their previous series. If they're going to get themselves back into this series, they will have to fix their offensive attack. Going downhill against Horford and Kornet instead of Porzingis will go a long way in helping that cause.
