Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Horford, Irving, Tatum

The Celts they offered no indication whether Kristaps Porzingis will be ready when the NBA Finals open Thursday night, but he appears to be trending in the right direction, MassLive’s Matt Vautour writes. Porzingis, who has been sidelined with a calf strain since April 29, was a full participant in Saturday’s practice, though coach Joe Mazzulla stated that it was a light workout and a more intense session is planned for Sunday.

“He did everything the team did” Mazzulla told reporters. “We will go much harder tomorrow. Today was a bit moderate, but she went through everything the team did today.”

Porzingis’ presence will be important against Dallas, which has gotten stellar performances from its center combination Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II throughout the play-offs. Mazzulla declined to say whether Porzingis will return to a full workload if medically cleared for Game 1.

“He is a great player. He’s done a lot of great things for us.” he said. “Just like any other guy, you go through what gives us the best chance to win, what gives us the best possible chance to win this series, this game, these matchups. When KP is at his best, he’s been great for us. We know he’s going to give us that.”

There are more from Boston:

• Celtics players who were part of the NBA Finals team two years ago believe the playoff run will be beneficial this time around, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. In 2022, Boston faced a Golden State team that had an advantage in playoff experience, but now the Celtics will be in that role against Dallas. “I think it will help a lot because the first time it felt like a roller coaster,” Al Horford said. “There’s just a lot going on. The increased media coverage and all the responsibilities we had and just everything that came with it. So I think this time, we all have a deal. We know how things are and I feel like we will be able to handle everything better.”
• Mavericks guardian Kyrie Irving will be cast as the villain as he returns to Boston with a championship on the line, notes Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. Irving had an uneasy relationship with fans during his two seasons as a Celtic and infamously stomped on the team logo at center court after Brooklyn completed a first-round sweep in 2021.
• Those hard feelings don’t transfer Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who were teammates of Irving’s early in their careers, adds Vautour along with Brian Robb in another MassLive story. Tatum and Brown are both grateful for the guidance Irving provided as they adjusted to the NBA. “Obviously there’s been some ups and downs, but I think for me, being a first-year, second-year player, being around a superstar basically every day and seeing how to navigate the that space.” Tatum said. “And obviously on the field, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen. So it seems like a long time ago, but I have a lot of great memories from having Kai as a teammate.”