Kristaps Porzingis Finally Returned From His Mystery Illness And Immediately Showed Why He's The Ultimate Cheat Code

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

Whenever you see a MIA/BKN back to back on the schedule, those are two games ou expect the Celtics to win with relative ease. The Nets' matchup probably a little tougher given how close they've been playing teams in their losses, but two tanking lottery bound teams should be wins at the end of the day.

Despite missing multiple starters and then another starter leaving early in the 3rd quarter with an injury, that's exactly what the Hospital Celtics did. They won both. It's sort of what that group does.

There will be many of these types of games over the regular season's homestretch. The Celtics have the 29th toughest schedule to close out the year, which means it's time for rest and for the bench to have their moment.

The Celts are essentially locked into the 2 seed, only have 3 games left against teams with a pulse, and one of those is at risk of falling into the Lottery if they don't start playing better. The point is, we have officially entered the "just get out healthy" portion of the season. 

At this point, I don't really care about winning ugly like we saw in these back to back wins. I care about winning and staying healthy. That's it. I care about guys feeling good as we prepare for the playoff run of our lives, that Joe and Brad find spots to get everyone their much needed rest. Once you get to this stage of the season, while playing well is preferred and nobody is interested in dropping games they shouldn't, you have to recalibrate your brain a little bit.

None of these games actually matter anymore. Things are settled. Seeding is locked. Sure it'd be cool if they finished with back to back 60 wins seasons, but it'd also be cool if they finished with like 58 and were fully healthy. Who gives a shit really?

When you're playing tanking teams, it can be a challenge to keep your focus. That's sort of why I respect the tanking Nets. They play HARD. They force you to consistently execute, and as someone who has no problem with the Celts needing to continue to get reps in late game execution as we prepare for the playoffs, I liked that about last night. I liked that we saw the Celts respond to a team that was white hot shooting the basketball and physical as hell defensively. Those are reps that can only help for when the games actually matter against better opponents. Especially with the Celtics down Jaylen/White/Horford.

So while nobody is throwing a parade because the Celts swept a MIA/BKN back to back, that doesn't mean there were things we can take away from the little mini-trip. Let's dive in.

The Good

- Naturally, there's only one place we can start, and that is with the return of our beloved 7'3 two way basketball demon. I'm not going to try and speculate what the hell was going on with KP and his unknown viral illness, and for all I know they brought in the doctor from House and he solved it immediately, gave KP some medicine and he was finally ready to go. 

There are a lot of fascinating parts to KP's game. His shooting touch at his height, his ability to put the ball on the floor, his rim protection, his ability to acquire some of the most random and rare injuries, it's all part of the experience.

But one thing that I feel like sets KP apart is as we've seen, it makes no difference how much time he misses. It could be  a week, it could be a month, it could be 2 months, the second he steps back onto a basketball court it's as if he never left. None of it makes any sense. There's never any rust, there's never any issues with his rhythm, he just steps back onto the court and dominates both ends. Part of me believes it's because he has so much experience missing huge chunks of time that it doesn't impact him the same way it does other players who maybe aren't used to being out for so long. That's really all I can think of as to why KP is able to come back and IMMEDIATELY make an impact like this. 

Sure the opponent probably plays a role into that too, but whatever. We saw it in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after he missed 2 months so I'm not really sure it's just because KP comes back and plays bad teams. 

It had been so long since we've seen KP active, my brain did sort of forget how fucking incredible he is on both ends of the floor. You know what I missed? This

The old "just throw it to the 7'3 dude" offense. It's unstoppable. Last night was a perfect reminder of exactly why Brad Stevens made this trade. When KP is on the floor, you cannot switch. If you cannot switch against the Celtics, you are dead. Granted if you do actually switch, you're also dead, so that's a bit of an issue for the rest of the NBA.

I mean just look at the guy. He's a fucking giant! A nice little 24/2 on 9-16 (1-7) with 1 block and a team best +13 in his 31 minutes, while the rebounding number is embarrassingly low, whatever. This was about as good a debut for KP as you could possibly ask for. He couldn't really make a 3, but made the big one when they needed it so I'm willing to overlook that 1-7 as well.

When this game was close entering the 4th quarter and the Celts had to find a way to survive the non-Tatum minutes, that's when KP took over. In that spot, it's sort of on him and Jrue to carry the load and keep the team afloat until Tatum came back in, and that's exactly what happened. KP had 14 points on 4-6 from the floor and 5-5 from the FT line in the 4th quarter, with 12 of those (3-3 shooting) coming in the non-Tatum minutes. 

This game served as a great reminder of just how dynamic Porzingis makes the Celtics offense. They're already tough as hell to stop, but then you add in this type of demon and it's what makes them practically unbeatable. He shuts things off in the rim and at the paint on one end, and then on the other he's a 3 level scorer that solves all your problems. In a shooting slump as a team? Lob it to the big fella and let him take a turnaround from 5ft away. A team goes zone? Put the man at the nail and get him the ball. A team switches? Good luck. You need spacing? Here's a 30ft bomb with a quick release after a high ball screen. Oh, and he's going to shoot 80% from the line so you can't foul him either. 

Good luck! 

It was also a little funny that the internet basically bullied him into tweeting about what was going on

but really we were just concerned. I'm just happy he's OK and we can get back to the regularly scheduled programming of watching KP completely dominate basketball games on both ends of the floor. Sure it's still terrifying whenever he attempts any type of jump or screen or pretty much anything on the court, but that's all part of the ride.

If this is the version of KP the Celts can get in the playoffs, which as long as he's on the floor there's no reason to think it wouldn't be, that's pretty massive when talking about the Celts playoff ceiling. Remember, they basically won the title without having him around last year.

- There are several moments where you can tell Jayson Tatum has truly arrived as a legitimate top 5 player and future face of the NBA. It's not about a game where he may go crazy and drop 50, it's not the massive playoff outings, it's not the two way versatility, none of that stuff. While important, it doesn't really show you what I'm talking about.

To me, you learn this about a player when you see how opposing coaches defend him. Are they willing to sell out defensively all so you don't get going? Do they trap you the second you cross half court because under no circumstances do they want you to have the ball in your hands?

When it comes to Jayson Tatum, opposing coaches tell you all you need to know about his standing in the league and what he's capable of. Not weirdos on NBA Twitter who are still very upset Tatum keeps beating their favorite team. When you see this

it tells you everything you need to know. Please look at the time on the clock. This is 3 minutes into a basketball game. Sorry, unless your favorite player is seeing triple teams and traps 3 minutes into the first quarter, we are not the same. 

Think of how insane it is to sell out defensively like this against the Celtics. You're leaving 40% shooters wide the fuck open, all so what, you can not get burned by Jayson Tatum? Guess what, it doesn't work. He's too good a passer. Guess what happened on this possession?

You still weren't able to stop Tatum from getting to the rim, which put you in rotation. Once the Celts have you in rotation, you've lost. It's not a matter of "if", but more so "how". Will they kill you with a 3? Will they kill you wth a paint touch? Either way it's death.

Few players in the entire league feel more comfortable being trapped than Jayson Tatum. Why? Because he deals with it for 48 minutes, nearly every possession. Early in the game, late in the game, NBA coaches are openly telling you they are terrified of being destroyed by Jayson Tatum to the point where they will completely sell out their defense just to earn the privilege of being beaten by someone else. 

That, is real motion. 

What happens if you don't take the ball out of his hands? Well, that's not a great choice either I'm afraid

Coming off a solid performance the night before, while other players sit the second end of a B2B against a lottery bound team, Jayson Tatum not only plays, he dominates. What a player.

- Against the Heat, the Celts needed Jrue Holiday's scoring. His three point shooting is what kept them close, and his highest regular season scoring performance was a key contributor to that road win.

Against the Nets, his role changed. While he needed to score and be that 3rd guy, with White also being out it required Jrue to switch things up and be a primary playmaker/offense creator. He responded with 12 assists and 2 TOs

Not only are they undefeated when Jrue has double digit assists, they are also 50-3 all time when he finishes with at leat 14 points. He only had 11 in this one, but it just goes to show that when Good Jrue Holiday shows up, it's what makes the Celtics overwhelming.

In what has been a bit of an up and down season for Jrue, it's been hard to know how much is age regression and how much is him just keeping himself reserved until the playoffs roll around. My guess is the truth is somewhere in the middle. But what I will say is if the Jrue we saw over the last two games is the Jrue he can be in the Spring, I just don't know how someone beats this team 4 out of 7 times.

Now, it's also important to remember this was the Heat and the Nets. Not exactly the caliber of teams that the Celtics will be facing in the playoffs which will require Jrue to play well. But I can't lie, it just feels great to see him play well. It's a relief thing more than anything else. I think we all know the competition will be tougher in the Spring, but I just needed to see him get back to playing elite basketball, and that's what he's done during this trip.

- It wouldn't be a Hospital Celtics game without someone making some sort of NBA history, and on this episode it came via Payton Pritchard

Talk about breaking out of your little mini 4 game slump. Just yesterday we talked about how Pritchard was in a tough 28/26% slump over that stretch, and on the second night of a B2B he comes out and drops 22/6/3/2 on 7-11 (5-8) while making NBA history. Of course he did.

Would it be crazy of me to suggest that despite the history, my favorite part of Pritchard's night had nothing to do with his shooting? I know the man can shoot. It's Payton Pritchard! So what always stands out more to me when I watch him is how much better he has become at being able to manipulate the defense with his dribble drive and the patience he now shows on those plays to let things develop so he can utilize the easy lob to Luke Kornet. He did it a handful of times in this game, and that to me is his leap this season. I mean this is beautiful shit

His ability to facilitate offense and generate scoring opportunities with his dribble penetration is what has made him a well rounded point guard. Add in the elite offensive rebounding and good defense, and what we are watching is a complete player who might have the highest competitive spirit in the entire NBA. 

It is my belief that this leap as a passer and an improved ability to read coverages is what helps Payton Pritchard be playable in a playoff game/series in the event his jumper goes cold. He can still find ways to produce scoring possessions, only it comes via lobs instead of 3s.

- I'll never complain about 28 AST / 7 TO performance, especially when you had about 50 points of offense on the bench. This win was a bit of a throwback, with the Celts dominating points in the paint (52-36) and shooting 52% from the floor while BKN dominated in fastbreak points, 2nd chance points, and 3PM. 

But to only have 2 TOs from Tatum despite the attention he got, 0 TOs from Jaylen in his 24 minutes before getting hurt, 0 TOs from KP despite his high usage. I'll talk that every day of the week. 

- Pretty good night for the "others" overall, with Hauser finishing 4-7 (3-6) and Kornet being the best big off the bench. In these shorthanded games, those are the guys who need to make sure to produce along with Pritchard. Usually in the games we see the Celts lose against better competition, those 3 struggle.

Given there aren't too many good teams left on the schedule, it's good to see them all get back to playing well against bad teams because that can only boost confidence, and as we know, confidence is everything for a shooter. 

The Bad

- I don't know shit about back spasms or how serious they are, but I do know back injuries should not be fucked with so if this now means Jaylen Brown needs to take a week off, so be it. If it kills his 65 Game limit eligibility, so be it. Already dealing with leg issues, I don't want any sort of overcompensating that could then lead to something else getting hurt. He is far too important to not be overly cautious with.

Even with the days off before they play BKN again, sit him. We saw what back issues can do, just look at Hauser. I feel this way about pretty much everyone for the rest of the season. Any sort of nagging injury or something that's maybe a little sore, congrats, here's your DNP-CD (rest). '

He was playing pretty well, especially when it came to establishing deep position/getting into his paint floater, so it was a bummer to see him exit early in the 3rd quarter. All we can do now is hope he's OK.

- It's not a stretch to suggest that the Celts winning this game was a bit of a prayer. I know that sounds crazy, but the math is the math.

When a team gets killed on the glass 45-38, allows 18 OREB for 17 2nd chance points, that's usually a loss.

When a team allows 20 3PM and only makes 13 3PM themselves, that's usually a loss

When a team allows 34 assists and only generates 9 TOs, that's usually a loss

When the Celtics miss 5 FTA in a game, that's almost always a loss

When the Celtics allow multiple 30+ point quarters in the same game, that's usually a loss

Well, ALL of that happened in this game, and the Celts somehow won it. As someone who has watched every dribble for basically my entire life, I can assure you that is a very rare occurrence that the Celts can be so bad in all those areas, get outshot from 3 like that and still walk away victorious.  

- Another bizarre night from Queta, not too different from his MIA performance. He's just such a roller coaster player that things change possession by possession. The inability to defensive rebound is maybe the most shocking. He didn't have a single DREB in his 13 minutes! Meanwhile, the Nets are getting OREB after OREB despite the Celts playing 2 bigs. That was awful.

But then there would be possessions where he held up in isolation and forced a miss. There were some OREBs and made FTs. In the end, he finished a +8 in his minutes but I still didn't think he played all that well.

What we learned is that if Joe is going to go double big and involve Queta, I think the other big has to be a floor stretcher, so either Al or KP. The spacing is too jacked up with Kornet/Queta on the floor together, so while double big is a fine thing to do since it's been successful all year, I think Joe needs to make sure to put Queta in a better spot and pair him with a different type of big. 

The Ugly

- As has unfortunately become a tradition, we once again saw a 21 point lead get all the way down to 3. This is like the 7th time in the last 9 games that's happened by the way, so it's kind of hard to ignore.

It's not about teams going on runs, of course that's going to happen. I think most rational people could live with a 21 point lead getting down to 10-12. That's fine. It's the next wave that I find extremely annoying. The one that gets the score into the 4-7 range. That's the shit that cannot happen. The fact that a lot fo the Nets' run came when Tatum was on the floor was also very annoying. The Celts actually were great in the non-Tatum minutes! That should be enough!

Instead, it was another night of having to sweat out a 21 point lead. Enough already. I am tired. I need to be able to trust 21 point leads. I should not be stressed that things are now only 5 as we head to the 4th quarter knowing Tatum is going to be getting his rest. Figure it the fuck out.

- Like clockwork, the root of this comeback came from very fake 3pt shooting. Just like we saw in the UTA 4th quarter when they stormed all the way back and nearly won, this was some of the fakest shit I've ever seen

A roster full of sub-30% shooters all suddenly never missing. Very cool. And this wasn't even a situation where the Celts were doing nothing but giving up wide open 3PA. Most of these were contested! The Cam Johson 30 footer at the end? I mean give me a fucking break. 

So part of me watches that shot making and chalks that up to God. Another part of me remembers this is the 7th time this shit has happened, and God can't be getting involved that frequently so what the hell is going on. How is it possible that all these tanking teams find this black magic in the 4th quarter? This is why I said last night was a bit of a prayer. Look at that 4th quarter shooting! 

But hey, a win is a win is a win. These two teams face off again in a few days in Boston, so we'll have to see who is active for that one. What I do know is the Nets will continue to play hard and they'll enter that game with all the confidence in the world, so you better execute or you don't like the result.