Are you kidding? After raising it for more than half a year, the Celtics inside player performed like this?

In the previous NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals G2, the New York Knicks once again completed a shocking comeback, defeating the Boston Celtics who played at home again 91-90. After this game, the Knicks also unexpectedly won two consecutive away games, and led the defending champion Boston Celtics with a total score of 2-0, gaining an absolute advantage in this round of series.

In this game, the performance of Celtics' substitute center Kristaps Porzingis was shocking. Porzingis played 13 minutes and 53 seconds in the whole game, made 3 of 5 shots, 1 of 1 from outside the three-point line, and 1 of 1 free throw, scoring 8 points and 4 rebounds, and had 1 turnover and 3 fouls, with a plus-negative value of -9. Porzingis got some points on the offensive end, which can be regarded as providing some support to the team. However, the problem is that his performance on the defensive end is really bad. Porzingis seems to lack sufficient defensive focus. His defensive effect on the court is a mess, and his opponents have targeted attacks on him. It is no exaggeration to say that fortunately Porzingis only played for more than 10 minutes. If he played for 25 minutes or 30 minutes, the Celtics may lose 20 points or even 30 points. As the team's inside pillar, it is really disappointing to have such a performance in such a critical game.

In the NBA regular season this season, Porzingis played 42 games in 82 games, averaging 28.8 minutes per game, averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers and 2.8 fouls. His shooting percentage was 48.3%, a three-point shooting percentage of 41.2%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 80.9%. In the playoffs, Porzingis averaged 23.4 minutes in his first seven games, with averaging 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He also had one turnover and 2.4 fouls. His shooting percentage was 34.9%, his three-point shooting percentage was 16.7%, and his free throw shooting percentage was 72.4%.

Porzingis' playing time and number of appearances in the regular season are actually very limited. The Celtics gave him a lot of time to rest and adjust his form, with the purpose of making him have a better form during the playoffs. However, in the playoffs, Porzingis' performance further declined, and his performance on the court was simply a mess, and it could even be said to have seriously dragged the team down. Porzingis's importance to the team is visible to the naked eye, and he also needs to play a more important role on the court and take on the tasks he should undertake. If Porzingis cannot improve his form to an acceptable level, the Celtics may be in big trouble.