“Burned Inside”: Kristaps Porzingis Narrates Awful Game 2 Side Effect After Eclipsing Jayson Tatum in Miami

A redemption game in Miami is exactly what the Boston Celtics needed to regain their lost momentum. The embarrassing 111-101 loss at TD Garden on Wednesday did not sit well with the Celtics, and they responded tonight, by winning Game 3 in enemy territory. Moreover, Kristaps Porzingis got his groove back, scoring 18 points tonight, after his abysmal performance in the last game. And the Latvian star revealed the horrible aftermath of his Game 2 performance.

Scoring just 6 points on Wednesday, and missing eight of his nine shot attempts, Porzingis was one of the key reasons why the Celtics lost in Game 2. But after his bounce back performance at Kaseya Center, Porzingis reflected on the last two days heading into tonight’s game, “Oh, man, it was a long two days, you know? Just the way it burns inside after a game like that, a loss like that. I mean, probably having my worst game as a Celtic, it really burned inside, I’m not going to lie.”

And Porzingis’ performance even impressed his teammate, Jayson Tatum, who made a bold claim about the big man after the Game 3 win, “He’s probably our most important guy on our team for what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Tatum was confident Porzingis would have a great game tonight and revealed the impact it has on Boston’s success, “Just the way he started out the game on both ends of the floor, being active, when he’s protecting the rim, contesting shots, we’re a whole different team.” Draining three of his five shots from the three-point arc, Porzingis made a huge difference on offense. Moreover, he was also a menace on the defensive end, collecting two blocks and one steal.

Jayson Tatum understood Kristaps Porzingis’ value long before Game 3

Just to clarify, tonight is not the first time Jayson Tatum has acknowledged how important Porzingis is for the team. In fact, during an interview earlier this year, he called Porzingis the “missing piece” in Boston’s pursuit to win a Championship, even comparing his contribution to what Pau Gasol did for Kobe Bryant during the Lakers’ 2009 and 2010 Championship runs, “Kobe really needed Pau for those last two championships that they won together.”

Despite being surrounded by superstar teammates like Tatum and Brown, Kristaps has found his role in the Celtics’ lineup, and excelled in it perfectly. Averaging over twenty points all season, and also grabbing over seven rebounds on a nightly basis, Porzingis was a key reason why the Celtics won over sixty games in the regular season. Not only that, Porzingis also averaged nearly two blocks throughout the 57 games he played this year.

Because of Porzingis’ impact on both ends of the floor, the Celtics ended up becoming the best offensive team in the regular season, while also becoming the third best defensive team in the league. And for them to finally get over the hump and win a Championship, they will need Porzingis to play like he did tonight throughout the playoffs. Do you think Porzingis can continue his form and help the Celtics achieve their goal of winning a title?