The Boston Celtics have designated Kristaps Porzingis as doubtful for Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Xavier Tillman, a teammate who substituted for Porzingis during Games 3 and 4, discussed the uncommon condition that afflicted the Latvian player.
During a Sunday news conference following practice, Tillman was questioned on the likelihood of Porzingis participating in Game 5. During training, he saw Kristaps Porzingis battle the injury and could see he was hurting. He is unsure about the former All-Star’s availability for Monday night’s game.
Tillman said: “We’ll see. Obviously, like they said it’s a rare leg injury, so if he’s in excruciating pain and can’t be his best, it might not be worth it. … When we go through our practices, he’s doing some stuff but you can tell he’s very uncomfortable. Like I said, we don’t want to put him in any type of situation that really would hurt him.”
Left posterior tibialis dislocation is a rare injury characterized by a tendon falling out of place. Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. According to Sports Illustrated, only 32 occurrences have been reported since 2006. It may induce inflammation.
Despite being available for Game 4, Porzingis did not participate in any play. The Boston Celtics were defeated relatively quickly. So, there was no sense in allowing him to participate and running the danger of making his ailment worse.
Kristaps Porzingis Might Have to Undergo Surgery Before Next Season
Dr. Robert Volk, a former club physician for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Florida Panthers, has stated that Kristaps Porzingis may require surgery over the offseason. Depending on his inflammatory response and pain threshold, Volk thinks Porzingis could still be able to play in the NBA Finals; nonetheless, surgery will resolve the problem.
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Volk said during ESPN’s interview: “First of all, it’s a very rare injury, but it is reported in the literature. But every case report that I’ve read, conservative treatment tends to not be very successful. So, especially in a high-level athlete, you usually are gonna undergo surgery to either tighten or recreate that retinaculum.”
Injuries have plagued Kristaps Porzingis throughout his career, and he regrettably suffered an uncommon ailment during the NBA Finals. He just recovered from a right leg injury that kept him out of the Eastern Conference semifinals and championship game.
