‘Boston NEEDS Porzingis to take down Dallas’ 👀 – Zach Lowe on Kristaps’ return | NBA Today

‘Boston NEEDS Porzingis to take down Dallas’ 👀 – Zach Lowe on Kristaps’ return | NBA Today

but it looks like christops porzingis is going to be good to go for game one so Zach how much of a difference is this going to make for the Celtics here they haven’t needed him yet they need him now I don’t think they can beat this Dallas team four times in seven games without some kind of production over some kind of real minutes load from Kristof schz inis they need his spacing he’s just a different Beast out there than Al Horford he spots up from further out he’s got a quicker release he opens the floor for everybody they need his ability to post up switches cuz I think Dallas is going to try to switch more than usual in this series to try to bog Downs Boston offense and make them play one-on-one porzingis roasted little guys on switches all season and they need his Rim protection because you know when Luca gets into the paint and he plays that little cat and mouse game fake over here I fake up here floaters lobs those are different kinds of passes when there’s a giant 73 dude with a Long Reach in the paint than they are against Al Horford I think they need him in this series that I need him to play real minutes and play well yeah I’m with Zach on this one um I love his floor spacing but I think more importantly is his Rim protection yeah uh you know how Dallas has been killing teams with lives Lively Gafford has been on the glass unbelievable 100% from the field I think in the last series they need him protect the rim stop some of those lobs obviously stretch the floor I know his voice didn’t say he was excited but his look that smirk was like he had something up his sleeve and I think he’s more than 100% ready I think he’s ready to surprise some people but he doesn’t want the other team to know chess yes this is chess he is trying to let them s think like oh he might be out but he’s playing a game and I think he’s ready he has something up as sleeve he’s he’s happy where he’s at and he can’t wait to show people what he got because there was another point when he was speaking with reporters and again this is the first time that we’ve really heard from him since he was injured where they asked if he was able to run well do you feel like you can get to full speed and he took a long pause before he finally said yes so maybe this is all just a little bit of a decoy here isn’t this the same man that went to social media and said see y’all in the final like come on guys he’s just trying to play it safe just so that when he hits the court you see exactly who he is and I’ve been saying it all season long he is the championship piece that was by design for the Boston Celtics and it starts as you mentioned Danny with his defensive versatility he’s top five in the NBA at Rim protection here he switches but he’s in drop coverage he still goes to the three-point line which is so important for Bigs but he’s moving those puppies perks not here but he’s moving those puppies and that’s why he’s able to be a solid Defender for them but then on the offensive side he shoots 37% from three and look at where the defense is that’s Lively look at the vision his ability to space the floor as a shooter is so important because not only can he shoot over mismatches that’s Kyrie trying to close out on him but more importantly when he stretches the floor that allows the Celtics to get downhill I think the big criticism was that the Celtics shoot a lot of Threes that’s a product of necessity when you’re missing a big time three-point shooter with him out there now Derek white Jaylen Brown Jason Tatum Drew holiday they can all go downhill he is the ultimate balancing factor for their offense and defense Boston has been the best team all season long Zach so how are they going to ride this momentum into the finals and ultimately get that second championship for this franchise they got to keep defending with the intensity and focus they’ve been defending but no they’ve been packing the paint in all their series before they got to be a little careful about doing that against the best three-point shooting team in the league maybe a half step further out to Boston Shooters and they’re going to have to find Pathways to attack Boston’s defense luckily they have the best player in the series Dallas can absolutely win this series and be the first five seed ever to win the title yeah I’m with you I I think they just need to come in with the same chip they have on their shoulder in the last series you know everybody kind of CED them out against Minnesota they come with that same attitude they just have to steal one they can steal one getting back home with that momentum if they go down 02 it’ be tough for them but they steal one and series they went up they won three straight and the other ones I think the first series they they split so they can split keeps their young guys confident and keeps them with that mindset and focus but if Kyrie can get out of Boston with one win I like Dallas in this in this favorite yeah and that’s so important the way that they ended the last series I think a lot of times we take for granted everyone’s like you just got to win by any cuss like if you can close out series like they did versus the T wolves in five that is huge because you allowed Luca donic the ability to rest because we know going into the finals if it was a game seven he might look different he may not have that pep in the step what did we see in the last series he almost looked like was it Jimmy Butler like man I’m tired but fortunately I can pass things off to Kyrie Irving as one of the best Kings of the fourth quarter right but now that he has been able to get rest they closed it out in five he’s someone who has led the NBA in usage now he can walk in feeling a little bit better and also they allow drik lley to heal too within the series and get him more time because you mentioned he made history he was 16 for 16 from the field in the Conference Finals those were all dunks but those were all great plays so their players are walking and feeling better because of how they handled business the series before and Kyrie Irving has said you know maybe I didn’t handle myself the best way that I could I’ve grown a lot since my time in Boston it’s interesting that both of these teams they were defeated at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in 2022 obviously Kyrie wasn’t on that team but they’re both walking in both Luca and Jason Tatum saying you know what we remember 2022 and we both think that we are better team and for Dallas Kyrie is such a big part of that what do you expect from him heading back into the same Arena where stomped unlucky the saging you know it’s going to come up over and over and over again what I hope to see is Kai do what Kai’s been doing and that’s go out and kill but we just never know when you’re in the type of building that you used to play in what kind of emotions it may bring um and said an emotional Kai could be one where it said he’s in attack mode all night but it could be one where he you know doesn’t find a rhythm um for me I think he’s going to come in doing what he’s been doing he’s locked in you know he’s mature he’s at peace at home in Dallas uh with that group uh so yeah but when you come back for those who have been traded from a team for a long time where where it didn’t end well and they boo you sometimes those emotions can help your adrenaline to a good point or a bad point you either have 40 or you might have five so I’m hoping that we’re going to see the 40 Point Kyrie in this series me too I don’t worry about Kyrie’s offense even though he’s going to be defended by bigger guys almost the entire series he’s going to get his he’s going to ignite them in terms of their pace and the chaos Points Guy when all else breaks down when the shot clock’s low he’s the guy who creates points from nothing the crowd you know that Boston crowd they’re going to try to bait him they’re going to try and get under his skin they’re going to try to get him distracted and they’ve done it in past matchups we all know that he’s had let’s say some interactions with the Boston crowd and with poor lucky the leprechaun who’s going to need some medical attention after all these people stomp on him over the years I expect him to tune it out this time this is the finals this is a different stage maybe at some point one of his teammates will stand up and direct Some Noise back at the crowd kind of on his behalf but I expect Kyrie he’s become the leader of this team by all accounts from within the team to tune it out and set the example of this is not time for fun or high jinkx or whatever this is the finals yeah I I expect to see that from Kyrie Irving we’re talking about the guy who hit one of the biggest shots in NBA finals history I think he’s coming in with that sort of focus and resolve he knows exactly what’s on the line he knows exactly what is at stake and when you’re talking about the Boston Celtics as the best team all season long Dallas statistically has been just about that good since they made those huge mid-season trades [Music]

Zach Lowe, Danny Green and Chiney Ogwumike join Malika Andrews on NBA Today to discuss expectations for Kristaps Porzingis’ return to the Boston Celtics vs. the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. They also discuss how Dallas will ride their momentum into the Finals and how Kyrie Irving will perform back in Boston.

0:00 Zach on Porzingis’ return
1:05 Danny says Boston needs Porzingis at the rim
2:08 Chiney calls Porzingis the “championship piece”
3:05 How will Dallas keep it up?
5:30 Kyrie back in Boston
7:09 Kyrie is the leader of this Dallas team

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