Oh, how quickly the tables turn. Only a couple of days ago, Kristaps Porzingis was deemed a hero by Celtics Nation after he played through an injury scare and led his team to victory. He took a nasty elbow from Goga Bitadze that left a huge gash on his forehead, with blood pouring down his face. KP left the floor with a smile and returned minutes later to drop a 20-point double-double. “I love my WWE moments.” He said, unbothered by the pain.

But Wednesday’s hero turned into today’s villain in an instant. With the series heading to Orlando for Game 3, Porzingis failed to continue his form on the road. He struggled to find his rhythm all night and shot a highly inefficient 3 of 10 from the field, finishing with only 7 points. Not only that, the Latvian star failed to contribute in other ways as well. Despite his 7’2 frame, he grabbed only six rebounds and got zero blocks. A forgettable night indeed.

There’s a very real reason why KP struggled in Game 3—and it starts with Orlando’s defensive identity. The Magic didn’t finish No. 1 in defensive rating during the regular season by accident. Their defense thrives on physicality, effort, and size, and in their first home game of the series, they put all of that on full display.

Their Game 3 scheme was dialed in specifically to neutralize Boston’s offensive weapons—particularly KP’s floor-spacing. Rather than overcommitting with doubles or unnecessary help, Orlando switched smartly on screens and applied relentless ball pressure. The result? Porzingis was forced into isolation scenarios he didn’t like, often battling size-on-size without the mismatch advantage he typically exploits.

Then there’s the Franz Wagner–Paolo Banchero problem. Both All-Star-caliber wings brought the heat on both ends. Wagner’s agility off screens and Banchero’s strength in one-on-one situations pushed Porzingis into uncomfortable defensive positions. Especially in space, KP’s limitations were on full display.

Orlando turned this game into a grind—and Boston’s unicorn found himself stuck in the mud.

Unfortunately, the rest of his team did not do any better. Jaylen Brown, who had a 36-point double-double on Wednesday in the absence of Jayson Tatum, scored only 19 points tonight. Even the Celtics’ other big man, Al Horford, struggled all game and finished with six points and six boards. Well, the only player in form was Tatum, who scored a team high 36 points after missing Game 2 due to a wrist injury. But one man’s effort was not enough to win Celtics the game.

Sure, they came inches close to pulling off a comeback in the final quarter. But Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero’s combined 61-point performance led the Magic to victory, bringing the series to 2-1. With Celtics community’s hope of a sweep shattering, the blame immediately fell on Porzingis.

NBA World deems Kristaps Porzingis “useless” after Game 3 performance as his Celtics’ contribution gets questioned

As the Celtics headed to their first playoffs loss of the year, calls began mounting against KP. Comments like “Kristaps Porzingis is literally useless in this game! Why is he on the floor?” and “This loss is 100% on Kristaps Porzingis” began flooding in. One netizen even deemed him the “worst man alive.” Well, consistency has been a key issue with Porzingis, as he looks like a superstar in one game and a scrub in another.

In the three games against Magic, he has crossed double-digit score just once. And one Celtics fan is just done with putting the Center on a pedestal, “I am tired of being silent Kristaps Porzingis has done absolutely nothing for me as a Celtic. NOTHING. I will never understand the obsession. ‘He was born to be a Celtic’ why??? Bc he smiles and winks at the crowd??? Bc he came back to shoot free throws bloody once??? I’m good.”

Although the fan’s anger is justified, the criticism might be a bit harsh because Porzingis has proved his worth for the Celtics time and again. During last year’s NBA Finals, he played a key role in helping the team win the title. His 20-point performance against the Mavs won them Game 1 in the Finals. Even in the regular season, KP averaged 19.5 points and nearly seven rebounds, helping the Cs bag the second seed. So, saying he has done ‘absolutely nothing’ as a Celtic seems a bit unfair.

Of course, a lot of the criticism is due to recency bias and will last until Porzingis has a good game and redeems himself. Until then, some fans want to take strict action against him, “Kristaps Porzingis, Tingus Pingus, Killin Parlays, you are on the lifetime ban list.” Hopefully, he will be better in Game 4 and win the fans back. Do you think he can do it?