Going into the Knicks’ second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, one of the biggest subplots was how Kristaps Porzingis would fare against his former team.
Drafted No. 4 overall by the Knicks in 2015, Porzingis was once envisioned to be the franchise’s savior — only to be standing in its way with the star-studded Celtics years later.
But the narrative changed after a mysterious illness limited Porzingis to only 13 minutes in Game 1, then continued to prevent the 7-3 center from dominating in his typical fashion in the subsequent games, too.
“I’m not feeling my best at all,” Porzingis said after Game 2, “but it just kills me inside that it’s happening in this moment.”
The lingering symptoms seemed to stem from an upper respiratory illness that caused Porzingis to miss eight consecutive games in February and March.
Porzingis was dealing with “energy zaps” and “ebbs and flows” in stamina, ESPN reported before Game 3, which prompted the 29-year-old to turn IVs and immune boosters and to even change his sleep patterns.
“He felt that he had actually turned a corner right as the playoffs started in mid-April,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said last week, “but in his own words, he had a crash right before Game 1 of this series.”
The illness significantly reduced Porzingis’ availability and production against the Knicks.
Entering Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, Porzingis was averaging 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game. He had not scored more than eight points or played more than 24 minutes in any game.
It was a far cry from the regular season, when Porzingis averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game and started each of his 42 appearances.
He had been even better against the Knicks in his career, averaging 21.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 15 regular-season meetings — including a 34-point eruption on April 8 in which he made eight 3-pointers in 39 minutes.
“Since he came back, he’s kind of been dealing with it on and off, working through it, fighting through it, doing the best that he can,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after Game 1.
Porzingis did not play in the second half or overtime of the Knicks’ 108-105 win in Game 1 in Boston, then came off of the bench in Games 2 through 4 as the Celtics fell behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Without an introduction during the pregame festivities, Porzingis heard only mild boos from Knicks fans when he checked in for Games 3 and 4 at the Garden.
Porzingis returned to the starting lineup in Game 5 after Jayson Tatum suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, but the Latvian star played a series-low 12 minutes in the Celtics’ 127-102 win. He finished with one point on 0-of-3 shooting and again did play in the second half.
“He couldn’t breathe,” Mazzulla said afterward. “He was available if absolutely necessary. That was a decision between me and him. He was having difficulties breathing, but he wanted to be out there.”
With Porzingis’ limited availability, the Celtics leaned more on 38-year-old Al Horford, who entered the starting lineup in Game 2 and was averaging 8.6 points and 32.0 minutes per game going into Friday.
Fellow center Luke Kornet — previously a teammate of Porzingis with the Knicks — gave Boston 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks in 26 minutes off the bench in Game 5.
Porzingis endured three losing seasons with the Knicks before he suffered a left ACL tear in February of 2018. The Knicks traded him to the Dallas Mavericks the following February, and he also played for the Washington Wizards before the Celtics acquired him ahead of last season.
A calf strain, followed by a tendon injury in his left leg, limited Porzingis to seven games during the Celtics’ championship run last summer.
Porzingis was not on the injury report going into Game 6, clearing him to play with the Celtics’ season on the line.
“It’s tough for me, honestly, but who cares?” Porzingis said after Game 2. “Nobody feels sorry for us, sorry for me, and we have to keep going.”
