Kristaps Porzingis’s Debut Was Spectacular
The Boston Celtics needed every bit of Kristaps Porzingis’s energy and talent as the New York Knicks were coming with a vengeance to destroy.
Porzingis returned back to New York, but this time being in a different uniform. Safe to say New Yorkers were not thrilled to see Boston beat them and have one of their former players, who was considered a “unicorn”, beat the daylights out of them.
The 28-year-old had an electrifying night, how so? In 38 minutes, he put up 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots on 53.3% shooting. Plus, to make his night even better, the man scored nine straight points to put his team in a comfortable position late in the fourth quarter.
New York lost 108-104 in their arena, Madison Square Garden. Again, many Knicks fans were hopeful of them winning after taking a 99-93 lead with 4:10 to go. It also made them more hopeful of winning when Jaylen Brown turned over the ball twice and fouled Quentin Grimes on a made triple.
This game was a tough task for Porzingis as he was put to the test; win or lose the game, the Celtics fans were just ecstatic to see his performance.
How did Porzingis feel after beating his former team?
“That was awesome,” Porzingis said, with a very broad smile, when asked how it felt to take down his former team in his first game with his new one. “That was awesome, I’m not going to lie. Playing here at the Garden is always special as the home team, obviously, but also on the road here it’s really fun.”
For him, it must have been very fun when late in the fourth everyone saw the massive comeback commanded by yours truly. Boston saw Porzingis hit free throws left and right with a huge three to seal the victory. The run I am speaking to was the 13-3 run that killed the hopes of New York beating Boston again.
Porzingis made franchise history
Despite it only being game one of the season, Porzingis decided to make history and beat out Dominique Wilkins.
He set a franchise record for the most points in a Celtics debut. It was originally set by Wilkins with 25 points in 1994, but a new high has been set. Well, at least Dominique was able to survive 29 years. That is surprising given all the talent making their debut as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Conclusion
This was a fantastic start for not only the veteran but for the team as well. Honestly, a picture-perfect start. Something many fans were hoping for after trading away Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart. However, safe to say Kristaps Porzingis is doing just fine with his new team and new role.
Their next game is Friday at home against the Miami Heat, who are also 1-0.
