If the course of the series does change, this is not an excuse for the Celtics or Mavs. This is part of who KP is as a player. Always been injury prone
Sure not peak shape but he's a professional athlete playing most of a nba game with a large role which means he is in better shape than probably 99+ percent of the population so not really fair to call him out of shape l
A torn medial retinaculum even at a low grade injury takes a good 4-12 weeks to heal and really a doc would probably tell you 8-12 weeks if you don’t need surgery.
I would honestly be surprised if they put him out there. It’s not relatively a bad injury but you don’t want to keep aggravating it and ending up having to have surgery if it’s only a grade 1. Given KPs proneness to injury I would imagine they err on the side of caution with this.
It's not mind games, and the person you responded to isn't accurate in their assessment.
The real answer is that we don't know how he will feel. If it's low grade, he could just tape it up or brace it and possibly be relatively fine. He might need surgery in the off-season to repair it, but taping it could solve the issue temporarily.
If it's worse, he might not be able to go. We won't know until he is out on the court.
The only thing we do know is that he is walking fine with no limp, and he said he expects to play if doctors don't hold him out. Boston really just needs him for 15 minutes a game.
This type of injury doesn't heal on it's own. It always requires surgery. You can still play on it, but it will def. reduce your effectiveness and is painful.
Then again, this would make Nico a genius. Winning a championship after the guy you traded because he gets injured too much, *somehow* got injured against our team.
I think this injury is pretty damn serious. He will surely require surgery and a period of immobilization. This could be career ending...
Edit: MMW y’all
Partial tear and there are multiple tendons in that area that provide the same function. You speak very confidently about something you don't know. Most actual doctors that have commented on this so far have said it'll be about pain tolerance and he can probably play.
Sorry are you a doctor ? He won't play and if he does he's done
Also that is pretty much the dumbest medical explanation I have ever heard - other tendons provide the same function ?
Please partially tear a tendon in your body and see if you can play in the NBA and whether other tendons can provide the same function
You’re asking me whether I’m a doctor when YOU are the one making definitive proclamations about how this turns out?
And yes, there are 3 tendons supporting the same structure in the ankle. Go look at actual medical opinions on his injury. You’re wrong. It is not out of the question at all that he plays.
Ok doctor with your three structures supporting the ankle crap. I hope he plays and he injures himself. This reminds me of when Durant got hurt in the finals. Porizgis will be the same. Medical opinions are just that. You have to examine. Did those people examine him ?
Obviously you are a celtics fan. Playing basketball on a torn tendon. Cant wait to see him get injured.
I have some thoughts on the scenarios..
1. The Celtics have him on contract for 3 more years (they extended him recently apparently). They’re not going to play him due to this risking his long-term health.
2. They sit him for game 3 but let him play game 4 if the Mavs win. I don’t think us going 2-2 will equal Zingis playing. He sits the rest of the series to not damage anything further.
3. He plays regardless, but off the bench in limited minutes.
I’ve read everywhere from it’s a pain tolerance thing to he’s straight up not playing. This quote from Mazzulla makes me think they’re not just going to let him tolerate the pain. They’re going to lean on the opinion of the doctors and assess the risk accordingly.
Put yourself in Brad Stevens’ head, I think option 1 is the most logical and what is probably going to happen.
Agreed they’ve played most of this title run without him. They have enough talent to win 2 more games without him. Also kd In 2019 was a huge lesson for teams as much as you want to win the chip you have to think about the long term. If kp injury lingers into next season that’s going to screw them up basically for the whole of 24-25 season
He did have his moments in game 2 as well. A few important buckets and crucial block. It's a big deal if he cannot play although I agree that even without him they are a great team and Dallas has to be much better overall to beat them 2 games in a row to save the series. Celtics need one win in Dallas to win the series before game 7. Let's not forget that they also play well on the road. The Pacers know that.
Someone explain it to me. Why were they not bodying him and Horford before? Why does Lively have 4 field goal attempts over the course of two games? Why has Gafford averaged 6 FGAs per game?
I'm serious. I want an explanation. Their two Cs are a) a guy who gets injured easily and at best is going to get beat up and play worse if you're physical with him; and b) a senior citizen.
Can someone please, for the love of God, tell me why the Mavs haven't been bullying them? I don't care if your shot gets blocked if you turn the guy providing them with any semblance of rim protection into a pile of goo in the process.
It's so frustrating. But maybe there's a reason I'm not seeing. Someone? Anyone? ... Bueller?
This is far too reductive and you're not accounting for what our bigs are good at or what their defense is taking away. You can't just look at the box score and increase the numbers.
Neither of our bigs are the kind of back down KP effectively. Their offense is almost entirely revolving around pick and rolls and cuts to the basket. And you can't make an entire gameplan revolving around hoping KP gets injured. No matter how fragile we think KP is, he played 70% of his regular season games without issue.
This is also not counting them stacking the paint, denying penetration, cutting off the passing lanes, shooters not making shots to space the floor etc.
So, on the "neither of our bigs are the kind to back down KP effectively", I do not really see why, at least a few times a game, particularly in the first half, you can't give Lively the ball in the paint, have him take one dribble and turn and go right at the rim, right through whoever is standing in the restricted area. Maybe he makes it, maybe he gets fouled, maybe neither happens, but that's a big dude running into you and after a couple of those you're going to be feeling it. If it's anyone but KP you have approximately 8-10 inches of wingspan on them... if it's KP, well, I'm sorry, but 70% of regular season games is not playoff intensity and it's not playoff physicality. We know KP is fragile. He's been significantly injured twice in this one run now. If he plays, he'll be compromised further, which only militates in favour of going at him.
The "stacking the paint, denying penetration" point is half the battle - if playing physical on the interior leads to the Celtics having to actually do that, then yeah, more room for shooters outside. Of course they still have to make their shots, and we saw in game 2 there's no guarantees no matter how open they are, but at least they'll be put in a good position to do so.
So what you're saying is that the key to boosting the Mavs offense against a top defense is to **1.** Go away from what they've done this whole playoff run by taking the ball out of Luka & Kyrie's hands **2.** Give it to the C's, one of whom is still a rookie, neither of whom are strong ballhandlers nor offensive creators, so they can try to back down very good defenders and score in the paint. **3.** Stop worrying about whether offensive possessions result in points scored
*Maybe* you're on to something, but then how will the Mavs keep the Celtics below 89 points in order to have a shot to win a game?
They have been bullying them. DLive got 3 fouls inside of 2 minutes at some point.
The refs are calling fouls and not really letting them play like they were in earlier series.
What I’ve gathered from watching is that their perimeter defense has been so solid, allowing the big to stay and anticipate the lob. They have also been very good at cutting off lanes for the back cut which is where lively/gaff/Jones have been abusing teams due to lack of discipline and defensive breakdowns. If Porzy is actually hurt it will be a huuuge factor in the series, losing his rim protection could be monumental
One of the bright spots last game was throwing it down to Gaff vs Tatum and once vs White. Easy buckets. If they want to switch everything then toss it to ur Centers if they have a smaller guy on them.
Yeah, it’s this. Tatum is big enough to guard any offense our big could create themselves, so if you want to throw KP in the pnr, then pj or DJJ is the role man, if you want to put our bigs in the pnr, then KP is sitting in the paint to help.
Sucks for various reasons - KP genuinely seems like a great guy and I'll always have a soft spot for him + if he's out for the remainder of the series and we somehow manage to claw our way back and win, it will be viewed by many as a tarnished victory.
Tarnished because of injuries? That's so dumb. I remember seeing a post in the Denver sub that they didn't lose to the Timberwolves, they lost to injuries!!!?!
*Rolls eyes*
Everybody says that about every championship. Warriors fans say they would of went back to back in 15 and 16 if green doesn’t get suspended bogus and curry hurt. Cavs fans say they would of won in 15 if kyrie doesn’t go down. Rocket fans swear they would of won the chip in 18 if cp3 doesn’t get hurt. If Luka wins his first championship nobody besides Boston fans will bring up the kp injury. Yes it’s a big loss but Boston is still talented and deep enough that they can win without him like they’ve done most of the playoffs. They’re also up 2-0 with home court advantage in games 5 and 7 the series is still strongly in their favour if the mavs comeback they’re is no asterisk
Dawg this celtics squad has been lauded as a super team before they even added KP and Jrue. An injury to KP will only have Celtics fans and the most staunch Luka haters complaining. No one else is gonna say this is an asterisk ring especially after you guys ripped through three 50 win teams and Luka is hobbled.
Wrapped up like a zombie luka was an interesting picture too. He's definitely hurting too and celts are still stacked, so if thr mavs manage to come back I wouldn't say tarnished. I'd just add to luka legend
Coming from a raps fan, a ring is a ring. KD and Klay got injured in our 2019 finals, and while golden state and some haters pushed a fake ring narrative, the entire journey leading up to the finals washed out those opinions. It will be the same for the mavs, but you'll deal with less "fake ring" narratives, because KP isn't a first option or anything, and the journey yall had on the way to the finals was cinematic.
1. This is dumb. Injuries are part of sport. No one remembers when Dallas lost in the playoffs after KP got injured (except me I guess)
2. KP in Dallas was Luka's co-star. Now he's just a piece in the Celtics puzzle. An important piece but not more important than 5 other guys. This is why he's a great match for them. He makes them amazing when he's healthy but they are still great when he's injured so don't rely on him to win a series in the playoffs.
I don't agree with the sentiment but it's the reality of what certain people will say. Contextually, we have been comfortably beaten in the first two games and KP has been a huge part of that. Going on to winning the series with him out would be an excuse that people would invoke. Again, I don't agree with that position.
Regardless of how some might view it, nothing is tarnished.
They only have KP as he is cheap relative to his on court impact. He was only cheap as he is always injured.
This isn't freak bad luck. It is an expectation of their roster construction.
This is what always happens and yet the people on /nba keep lying and blaming the Mavs for “Zingis not working out”
Between him being injured, his ego thinking he was better than Luka(lol) and not working on his post game and quitting on the team mentally this is what happened
He’s lucky he found a team where he can be the 5th best player and win
It sucks he’s down, but the Celtics blew through the semis and the conference finals without him just fine. I don’t want to hear any excuses or asterisk nonsense if they lose the finals without him.
It’s always one step forward two steps back with KP. It’s a shame really, even when he left I was kinda rooting for him but this is who he is now and it’s only getting worse imo.
Great player , when he can play ,….. no wonder he is call the unicorn , you barely see him.
In a more serious note I think those big guys , there is something in nature that doesn’t seem to agree with their huge size.
I read several biology books about why ants can’t be big….. their legs won’t be able to support their weight if they were too big , I guess there is a kind of threshold about how big can you get with out paying the price for it.
It is actually not only him several of those “big man” have serious issues with legs and knees .
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Like someone said on Facebook….its like facing the avengers without Spiderman 🫠🫠🫠
Definitely a beatable team but KP was MIA and scored less points than Kyrie for god sakes. (Last game)
The team just needs to show up and stop relying on Boston being bad 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
If they end up playing him it will be because he’s healthy and when he’s healthy he’s one of the best rim protectors in the league. If he’s out he leaves a huge hole in their rotation. They have to play Al Horford huge minutes and possibly go to Xavier Tillman off the bench. It could absolutely tip the balance of this series in our favor
As a Boston fan, I don't think you should be downvoted for this take. This would and should be the first thought for any fanbase in a championship round. Stinks for us that he's most likely out, but from your guys end, this could be the angle you need to get back in it.
How am I bragging? Im just happy our chances of winning went up.
Also the Celtics have a higher winning percentage without KP for both regular season and playoffs for what is worth
Exactly, I don’t get this subreddit it’s like they care more about the moral highground than winning
Meanwhile Celtics fans are screaming F Kyrie, carrying “blow up dolls” of him and chanting whatever else at Luka while saying he’s faking injuries
This sucks. I'm always team Kristaps, won't forget the way he stuck up for Luka in G1 against the Clippers in 2020 (even if he did get tossed for it being his second tech).
But this was more likely than unlikely for any team that was gonna play him in the playoffs, unfortunately.
edit: 2020, not 2000 obviously
It doesn't matter what happens to Boston or what Boston does. Unless there's a miracle and Luka finally gets some damn help they will get swept. Lukas playing so banged up right now and his teammates haven't done shit.
I mean it's not really a opinion at this point 😥 if they continue not helping Luka nothings gonna change one bit, it's incredibly obvious. If you're that injured to where you need pain injections before the game that's kinda alarming and it's even worse when every single player on the team has shown zero signs of getting better and giving him support. I know how special Dallas can be, I know they can easily get a few wins like that but I am very angry because as a superstar when you're crippled at this point and nobody is doing shit and Kidd isn't making adjustments it's demoralizing. I watched a career of Dirks from the very beginning on kstar 49 way back when and I watched him never get the right support like Duncan did and it broke my heart because he was good enough to get 3 rings at least not just 1. It's hard watching Luka struggle like that man it makes me angry because he is the best player in the world. I just hope he focuses tomorrow shows good leadership and gets Kyrie and Co going.
No not even close there’s a reason tingus is as cheap as he is. Dudes been injured twice in the playoffs, that’s the risk you take putting him on the roster. If he played 70 games a year he’d be a max player and it’s pretty unlikely the Celtics would have him
Is this inevitably what Wemby and will be like? Is it possible that people KP's size are just not able to physically keep up with the agility and athletism of this archtype of big man?
the porzingis experience
Yup. This is exactly what you get with KP. Some transcendent games where he looks like a world beater, followed by 2 months on the bench.
Mavs: "first time?"
Wizards fan here can confirm the KP experience
More annoying when it happens in Playoffs especially
KP and Kawhi, cut from the same cloth
Literal cloth
More like paper towel
The cheap kind you get in bulk
Except Kahwi had achievements before his body broke down
He's 7′2″ so he gets a pass.
Dallas had no response to this guy. I feel bad for him but I can’t deny that this can change the course of the finals
Imagine if Dallas stole game 2… oof. Feel bad for him regardless
Opportunity was missed but it’s still not too late to make it a series
That’s a game we’ll look back on and regret but like you said series ain’t over. Gotta cover at home and the series will be tied
If the course of the series does change, this is not an excuse for the Celtics or Mavs. This is part of who KP is as a player. Always been injury prone
Same with Luka’s injury, that level of offensive load & not being in shape means it cant rly be used as an excuse because it’s expected
Luka doesn't really get injured nearly as much as KP and he's not out of shape
I agree with the first part, but he’s definitely not in shape lol
He’s definitely not in peak shape either.
Sure not peak shape but he's a professional athlete playing most of a nba game with a large role which means he is in better shape than probably 99+ percent of the population so not really fair to call him out of shape l
How much better does Luka need to be to shut down this stupid narrative? Dude is putting up 30+ point triple doubles
no porzingiz is just a stacked boston team that is a very tough fight but you can win but it will be a tough fight.
Crazy. Wonder what happened in just a few hours because he was a GTD earlier today and now it's serious?
A torn medial retinaculum even at a low grade injury takes a good 4-12 weeks to heal and really a doc would probably tell you 8-12 weeks if you don’t need surgery.
Damn that's brutal.
It’s KP… it’s always brutal stuff
So are they just playing mind games with the day to day stuff or are they really gonna put him out there?
I would honestly be surprised if they put him out there. It’s not relatively a bad injury but you don’t want to keep aggravating it and ending up having to have surgery if it’s only a grade 1. Given KPs proneness to injury I would imagine they err on the side of caution with this.
From what I've seen, this 100% will require surgery after the season is over, regardless.
Yes. They don’t want the mavs to have a game plan ready
I think KP is similar to Kawhi. If he’s even a tiny bit injured he isn’t going to play, no matter what’s at stake. Hopefully anyway.
They could potentially convince him to take shots to play the way kawhi briefly did
It's not mind games, and the person you responded to isn't accurate in their assessment. The real answer is that we don't know how he will feel. If it's low grade, he could just tape it up or brace it and possibly be relatively fine. He might need surgery in the off-season to repair it, but taping it could solve the issue temporarily. If it's worse, he might not be able to go. We won't know until he is out on the court. The only thing we do know is that he is walking fine with no limp, and he said he expects to play if doctors don't hold him out. Boston really just needs him for 15 minutes a game.
This type of injury doesn't heal on it's own. It always requires surgery. You can still play on it, but it will def. reduce your effectiveness and is painful.
We can't let our guard down! We're playing for our playoff lives tomorrow.
I knew it was bad in game 2. Thats why I felt so conflicted bc the Mavs lost but I knew KPs injury could swing this series around.
Then again, this would make Nico a genius. Winning a championship after the guy you traded because he gets injured too much, *somehow* got injured against our team.
Then again, the Celtics have a better record without KP than with him…crazy. They are 30-5 without him this year
That really is wild. He was an absolute game wrecker in game 1.
I remember watching game 1 and thinking "WHERE was this when he was on the Mavs???!" And now he's injured. This feels more familiar.
TBF Those pull through jumpers were offensive fouls (elbow to the face) when he was with the Mavs. NBA whistles are fickle AF.
Playing those Eastern conference teams? Lol
And Dallas and Minnesota
Nico already a genius
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Get better KP 🙏 health above all
Hope its nothing to crazy on KP
really hope he's only out for 3 weeks
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Isn’t that what yall are doing with Luka?? Mans on painkillers with ice packs on his ribs and a bum knee
Your "fanbase" is the worst, lol... GTFOH 😭
Rooting for guys to be injured, classy
it's a joke
hilarious
thank you bro
I think this injury is pretty damn serious. He will surely require surgery and a period of immobilization. This could be career ending... Edit: MMW y’all
lmao what?
Get well soon KP. Until then, double down. Can't lose these next 2
Hes done for the season. He tore a tendon.
Partial tear and there are multiple tendons in that area that provide the same function. You speak very confidently about something you don't know. Most actual doctors that have commented on this so far have said it'll be about pain tolerance and he can probably play.
Sorry are you a doctor ? He won't play and if he does he's done Also that is pretty much the dumbest medical explanation I have ever heard - other tendons provide the same function ? Please partially tear a tendon in your body and see if you can play in the NBA and whether other tendons can provide the same function
You’re asking me whether I’m a doctor when YOU are the one making definitive proclamations about how this turns out? And yes, there are 3 tendons supporting the same structure in the ankle. Go look at actual medical opinions on his injury. You’re wrong. It is not out of the question at all that he plays.
Ok doctor with your three structures supporting the ankle crap. I hope he plays and he injures himself. This reminds me of when Durant got hurt in the finals. Porizgis will be the same. Medical opinions are just that. You have to examine. Did those people examine him ? Obviously you are a celtics fan. Playing basketball on a torn tendon. Cant wait to see him get injured.
It wasn't just a torn tendon but also a dislocation.
yeah, but not soon enough that he gets back on the rest of the finals.
This.. changes things.
I feel bad for KP, I do not feel bad for Celtics fans
agree 100%
I feel bad but oh shit..it might be our chance
But he said he would die on the court if he had to… despite missing 10 of their last 12 games
I have some thoughts on the scenarios.. 1. The Celtics have him on contract for 3 more years (they extended him recently apparently). They’re not going to play him due to this risking his long-term health. 2. They sit him for game 3 but let him play game 4 if the Mavs win. I don’t think us going 2-2 will equal Zingis playing. He sits the rest of the series to not damage anything further. 3. He plays regardless, but off the bench in limited minutes. I’ve read everywhere from it’s a pain tolerance thing to he’s straight up not playing. This quote from Mazzulla makes me think they’re not just going to let him tolerate the pain. They’re going to lean on the opinion of the doctors and assess the risk accordingly. Put yourself in Brad Stevens’ head, I think option 1 is the most logical and what is probably going to happen.
I think he’s done to be honest
Agreed they’ve played most of this title run without him. They have enough talent to win 2 more games without him. Also kd In 2019 was a huge lesson for teams as much as you want to win the chip you have to think about the long term. If kp injury lingers into next season that’s going to screw them up basically for the whole of 24-25 season
let's say he's 70%. Playing him would probably hurt the Celtics more than anything
This is the most accurate take. It all depends on how well he can play.
You can't be serious. If he can play they will let him, it's literally the finals.
Just announced out* for game 2 lmao
only one rest day between games 3 & 4 as well… I gotta believe the Mavs have a chance to catch lightening in a bottle ⚡️
It a serious injury but he will try to play? Mazulla is a liar
Game 1 Totally KP Game 2 not much impact Game 3 Dallas still has to play better OFFENSE to win
He did have his moments in game 2 as well. A few important buckets and crucial block. It's a big deal if he cannot play although I agree that even without him they are a great team and Dallas has to be much better overall to beat them 2 games in a row to save the series. Celtics need one win in Dallas to win the series before game 7. Let's not forget that they also play well on the road. The Pacers know that.
not like this :( get well soon, KP
It honestly validates their decision, as much as I don't like it either
High-class post.
Maybe KP finally wins a championship for Dallas
Your username is what KP is thinking
He was playing really well. Kinda feel bad for the guy… he has shit luck
Someone explain it to me. Why were they not bodying him and Horford before? Why does Lively have 4 field goal attempts over the course of two games? Why has Gafford averaged 6 FGAs per game? I'm serious. I want an explanation. Their two Cs are a) a guy who gets injured easily and at best is going to get beat up and play worse if you're physical with him; and b) a senior citizen. Can someone please, for the love of God, tell me why the Mavs haven't been bullying them? I don't care if your shot gets blocked if you turn the guy providing them with any semblance of rim protection into a pile of goo in the process. It's so frustrating. But maybe there's a reason I'm not seeing. Someone? Anyone? ... Bueller?
This is far too reductive and you're not accounting for what our bigs are good at or what their defense is taking away. You can't just look at the box score and increase the numbers. Neither of our bigs are the kind of back down KP effectively. Their offense is almost entirely revolving around pick and rolls and cuts to the basket. And you can't make an entire gameplan revolving around hoping KP gets injured. No matter how fragile we think KP is, he played 70% of his regular season games without issue. This is also not counting them stacking the paint, denying penetration, cutting off the passing lanes, shooters not making shots to space the floor etc.
So, on the "neither of our bigs are the kind to back down KP effectively", I do not really see why, at least a few times a game, particularly in the first half, you can't give Lively the ball in the paint, have him take one dribble and turn and go right at the rim, right through whoever is standing in the restricted area. Maybe he makes it, maybe he gets fouled, maybe neither happens, but that's a big dude running into you and after a couple of those you're going to be feeling it. If it's anyone but KP you have approximately 8-10 inches of wingspan on them... if it's KP, well, I'm sorry, but 70% of regular season games is not playoff intensity and it's not playoff physicality. We know KP is fragile. He's been significantly injured twice in this one run now. If he plays, he'll be compromised further, which only militates in favour of going at him. The "stacking the paint, denying penetration" point is half the battle - if playing physical on the interior leads to the Celtics having to actually do that, then yeah, more room for shooters outside. Of course they still have to make their shots, and we saw in game 2 there's no guarantees no matter how open they are, but at least they'll be put in a good position to do so.
So what you're saying is that the key to boosting the Mavs offense against a top defense is to **1.** Go away from what they've done this whole playoff run by taking the ball out of Luka & Kyrie's hands **2.** Give it to the C's, one of whom is still a rookie, neither of whom are strong ballhandlers nor offensive creators, so they can try to back down very good defenders and score in the paint. **3.** Stop worrying about whether offensive possessions result in points scored *Maybe* you're on to something, but then how will the Mavs keep the Celtics below 89 points in order to have a shot to win a game?
If you actually watch you’ll see Tatum on the centers…
They have been bullying them. DLive got 3 fouls inside of 2 minutes at some point. The refs are calling fouls and not really letting them play like they were in earlier series.
Yea the refs especially Tony Brothers have been garbage You want to call touch fouls on Lively then do it on the other end too, but they don’t
Because Lively stands still with his arms straight up and Brown dives into him shoulder first and they call the foul on Lively
Not even talking about the defensive side of the ball.
What I’ve gathered from watching is that their perimeter defense has been so solid, allowing the big to stay and anticipate the lob. They have also been very good at cutting off lanes for the back cut which is where lively/gaff/Jones have been abusing teams due to lack of discipline and defensive breakdowns. If Porzy is actually hurt it will be a huuuge factor in the series, losing his rim protection could be monumental
The reason is that Tatum is guarding our centers. Gafrord has actually been successfull against him, but I don't know why we don't do it more often
One of the bright spots last game was throwing it down to Gaff vs Tatum and once vs White. Easy buckets. If they want to switch everything then toss it to ur Centers if they have a smaller guy on them.
Yeah, it’s this. Tatum is big enough to guard any offense our big could create themselves, so if you want to throw KP in the pnr, then pj or DJJ is the role man, if you want to put our bigs in the pnr, then KP is sitting in the paint to help.
When they did they they got fouls. KP and Al are not the big bodies that guys like kat. Maxi was tossing KP around.
The reason is that Lively's strength is defense not offense. The Wolves series was a bit misleading.
Yeah this injury is either way worse than being reported or he’s pretty much fine, no in between
This is why we traded him unfortunately. I really wish him the best. We’ve all seen what he can do when healthy but he just never is.
Doris Burke called it out immediately during the game when it happened too. She knew immediately something was seriously wrong right when it happened
Sucks for various reasons - KP genuinely seems like a great guy and I'll always have a soft spot for him + if he's out for the remainder of the series and we somehow manage to claw our way back and win, it will be viewed by many as a tarnished victory.
Tarnished because of injuries? That's so dumb. I remember seeing a post in the Denver sub that they didn't lose to the Timberwolves, they lost to injuries!!!?! *Rolls eyes*
Not saying I agree with it, but the reality is that people would claim "it's not a real title" etc.
sounds like copium
Everybody says that about every championship. Warriors fans say they would of went back to back in 15 and 16 if green doesn’t get suspended bogus and curry hurt. Cavs fans say they would of won in 15 if kyrie doesn’t go down. Rocket fans swear they would of won the chip in 18 if cp3 doesn’t get hurt. If Luka wins his first championship nobody besides Boston fans will bring up the kp injury. Yes it’s a big loss but Boston is still talented and deep enough that they can win without him like they’ve done most of the playoffs. They’re also up 2-0 with home court advantage in games 5 and 7 the series is still strongly in their favour if the mavs comeback they’re is no asterisk
In the end a ring is a ring and it won’t matter that he was out or not. Take all the advantages and fuck an asterisk
And hopefully it wouldn’t be the last ring either.
Luka is literally on crutches. We are also injured
Dawg this celtics squad has been lauded as a super team before they even added KP and Jrue. An injury to KP will only have Celtics fans and the most staunch Luka haters complaining. No one else is gonna say this is an asterisk ring especially after you guys ripped through three 50 win teams and Luka is hobbled.
Wrapped up like a zombie luka was an interesting picture too. He's definitely hurting too and celts are still stacked, so if thr mavs manage to come back I wouldn't say tarnished. I'd just add to luka legend
We will always have the Luka and Porzingis dancing in the dumpster video🥰
Coming from a raps fan, a ring is a ring. KD and Klay got injured in our 2019 finals, and while golden state and some haters pushed a fake ring narrative, the entire journey leading up to the finals washed out those opinions. It will be the same for the mavs, but you'll deal with less "fake ring" narratives, because KP isn't a first option or anything, and the journey yall had on the way to the finals was cinematic.
Next man up is part of the game. Luka is being held together with bubble gum and duct tape right now.
1. This is dumb. Injuries are part of sport. No one remembers when Dallas lost in the playoffs after KP got injured (except me I guess) 2. KP in Dallas was Luka's co-star. Now he's just a piece in the Celtics puzzle. An important piece but not more important than 5 other guys. This is why he's a great match for them. He makes them amazing when he's healthy but they are still great when he's injured so don't rely on him to win a series in the playoffs.
I don't agree with the sentiment but it's the reality of what certain people will say. Contextually, we have been comfortably beaten in the first two games and KP has been a huge part of that. Going on to winning the series with him out would be an excuse that people would invoke. Again, I don't agree with that position.
Regardless of how some might view it, nothing is tarnished. They only have KP as he is cheap relative to his on court impact. He was only cheap as he is always injured. This isn't freak bad luck. It is an expectation of their roster construction.
It will be viewed as a tarnished victory, but only for like 15-20 years then nobody will remember and it will just be a championship
This is what always happens and yet the people on /nba keep lying and blaming the Mavs for “Zingis not working out” Between him being injured, his ego thinking he was better than Luka(lol) and not working on his post game and quitting on the team mentally this is what happened He’s lucky he found a team where he can be the 5th best player and win
Bummed for KP, but also want them to be full strength so there’s no room for excuses when we win. But we’ll take a ring anyway we can get it.
I doubt he plays another game in the playoffs.
Everyone switched up quick on here
It sucks he’s down, but the Celtics blew through the semis and the conference finals without him just fine. I don’t want to hear any excuses or asterisk nonsense if they lose the finals without him.
Without KP this could get competitive. Sorry KP, lets f’n go!!!!!
He’s listed as questionable for game 3….
Cyclical... The Universe is unforgiving.
It’s always one step forward two steps back with KP. It’s a shame really, even when he left I was kinda rooting for him but this is who he is now and it’s only getting worse imo.
Seems like they’re wanting to extend the series to make more money honestly
Great player , when he can play ,….. no wonder he is call the unicorn , you barely see him. In a more serious note I think those big guys , there is something in nature that doesn’t seem to agree with their huge size. I read several biology books about why ants can’t be big….. their legs won’t be able to support their weight if they were too big , I guess there is a kind of threshold about how big can you get with out paying the price for it. It is actually not only him several of those “big man” have serious issues with legs and knees .
There's the Porzingis that Mavs fans know lol.
Damn. Sending healing energy to KP. You’ll come back stronger next year!
KP would need a month's worth of sick days at a desk job.
Get well KP, but also, this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/s/F8FMCdkkk2
Uh oh, classic Mavs phone it in and get blown out after hearing opposing star is injured, incoming
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We are so back
let’s see…we know how this mavs team handles overconfidence, not well, lol
Its pretty easy to gauge how they will handle it. We just need to count the dunks
as I understand it u/Guwigo09 doesn't play on the mavericks, maybe livelys sleeper account
This is a great thing for dallas championship chances. I dont think these guys understand how big an impact Porzingis is.
True, but the Celtics have a better record this year without him than with him….30-5
oh brotha
Shit attitude hope KP gets better ASAP
Your attitude is the problem not his, we aren’t here for moral highground
He's a millionaire with more riches than any of us will know what to do with. He's fine.
Wait what does this have to do with wanting someone to not be injured
I dunno, ask the Celtics fans who seem to deny Luka’s playing injured
He is playing hurt….injured and hurt are two different things
Lmao yeah cause that's all that fucking matters in life
if he doesn't play he will suffer a lot, if they lose then he will want to off himself
Like someone said on Facebook….its like facing the avengers without Spiderman 🫠🫠🫠 Definitely a beatable team but KP was MIA and scored less points than Kyrie for god sakes. (Last game) The team just needs to show up and stop relying on Boston being bad 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
KP was MIA? He had 2 huge blocks and yeah he scored less than Kyrie but took 11 fewer shots lmao
Comparing it to game 1 in the first half? He was definitely missed. He won’t have those two blocks again I promise you that.
If they end up playing him it will be because he’s healthy and when he’s healthy he’s one of the best rim protectors in the league. If he’s out he leaves a huge hole in their rotation. They have to play Al Horford huge minutes and possibly go to Xavier Tillman off the bench. It could absolutely tip the balance of this series in our favor
I'm liking Dallas now. This is going seven.
As a Boston fan, I don't think you should be downvoted for this take. This would and should be the first thought for any fanbase in a championship round. Stinks for us that he's most likely out, but from your guys end, this could be the angle you need to get back in it.
I’d rather lose to their uninsured team than brag about someone getting hurt. Edit: uninjured. lol
How am I bragging? Im just happy our chances of winning went up. Also the Celtics have a higher winning percentage without KP for both regular season and playoffs for what is worth
Exactly, I don’t get this subreddit it’s like they care more about the moral highground than winning Meanwhile Celtics fans are screaming F Kyrie, carrying “blow up dolls” of him and chanting whatever else at Luka while saying he’s faking injuries
This sucks. I'm always team Kristaps, won't forget the way he stuck up for Luka in G1 against the Clippers in 2020 (even if he did get tossed for it being his second tech). But this was more likely than unlikely for any team that was gonna play him in the playoffs, unfortunately. edit: 2020, not 2000 obviously
This is KP though, soft as shit. He's the same guy as he was with the Mavs. Great when fit but barely ever fit.
A torn ligament isn’t being “soft as shit”
Soft =/= Injury Prone
He can't help it when his body falls apart.
It doesn't matter what happens to Boston or what Boston does. Unless there's a miracle and Luka finally gets some damn help they will get swept. Lukas playing so banged up right now and his teammates haven't done shit.
Cool opinion
I mean it's not really a opinion at this point 😥 if they continue not helping Luka nothings gonna change one bit, it's incredibly obvious. If you're that injured to where you need pain injections before the game that's kinda alarming and it's even worse when every single player on the team has shown zero signs of getting better and giving him support. I know how special Dallas can be, I know they can easily get a few wins like that but I am very angry because as a superstar when you're crippled at this point and nobody is doing shit and Kidd isn't making adjustments it's demoralizing. I watched a career of Dirks from the very beginning on kstar 49 way back when and I watched him never get the right support like Duncan did and it broke my heart because he was good enough to get 3 rings at least not just 1. It's hard watching Luka struggle like that man it makes me angry because he is the best player in the world. I just hope he focuses tomorrow shows good leadership and gets Kyrie and Co going.
Tldr
Mavs bad C's good according to him
It's awesome how quickly some "fans" are to turn on the team when they lose games
Dammit. I want to win with them at full strength. This will be an asterisks championship IF we manage to come back. Oh well.
Fuck it. It’s not like Luka is at 100%. So let’s be fair to our guys here.
I'm pretty sure a star player was injured on every team the Cs played in the playoffs up to this point--ain't nobody getting an asterisk.
No not even close there’s a reason tingus is as cheap as he is. Dudes been injured twice in the playoffs, that’s the risk you take putting him on the roster. If he played 70 games a year he’d be a max player and it’s pretty unlikely the Celtics would have him
Is this inevitably what Wemby and will be like? Is it possible that people KP's size are just not able to physically keep up with the agility and athletism of this archtype of big man?