On May 1, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued, but this time the competition was very fierce, and many All-Star players were injured, which also made the series lose a lot of highlights. For example, the Pelicans were swept out of the game without Zion with a score of 0-4, the Bucks and Lillard were absent with injuries and the team fell behind the Pacers 1-3, and the Heat Butler was absent and fell behind the Celtics 1-3. At this time, the league's No. 1 Celtics suffered another heavy blow, and Porzingis also fell injured.
In the G4 battle between the Celtics and the Heat, Porzingis was injured in a cover and then went straight back to the locker room and withdrew from the game. Now, Shams reports that Porzingis will miss Game 5 of the series with a right soleus muscle strain. And the absence of G5 is just the beginning, and he will miss at least a number of games, which means that he may also miss the Eastern Conference semifinals, which is still a big blow to the Celtics.
Porzingis' stats may not be too luxurious, but his role on the interior is indispensable to the team, and with his absence, the team can only rely on the veteran Horford, and he is still difficult to prop up the interior. In the game that the Celtics lost in G2, Porzingis's sluggish performance, coupled with the Heat's hot outside hand, finally the team lost in an upset. But now the Heat sees a little opportunity, at least the gap in strength will not be so big.
Originally, the Heat lacked Butler, and the gap in strength was still obvious, and in the 3 games lost, the Celtics took the initiative early on the court. But now that the Celtics are missing Porzingis, this will allow Adebayo on the inside to take the initiative, which requires Tatum and Brown to step up more and take more responsibility, so that the chances of winning will be greater. The next step is to test Tatum and Brown, and I believe they will end the series as soon as possible, so that Porzingis can get more time to recuperate.
If Porzingis doesn't return in time, the Celtics' championship prospects will be clouded, and the playoff landscape will be dramatically changed. Judging from the current situation in the East, many teams are plagued by injuries, and anyone is likely to break through, and the advantage of the Celtics is not very good, all of which depends on when Porzingis returns, otherwise there may be a big dark horse.