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Two points on 0-of-6 shooting from the field isn’t exactly how Kristaps Porzingis or the Celtics hoped the seven-footer’s first half would go on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While he wasn’t disrupting the team’s offensive flow by forcing shots, it was tough to see the big man continuously hit the back rim or have his attempts roll out after being halfway down.
Plays like this one, where he worked for a good look inside against Cavs center Jarrett Allen are an example of the normal type of attempts that he fired off in the first 24 minutes.
One of the biggest stories of the night was that Boston couldn’t buy a basket early on and fell down by 15 points in the first quarter. Porzingis wasn’t the only one watching his shots ricochet off of the rim. Just about everyone besides Jaylen Brown, who scored the team’s first eight points, suffered the same fate against Cleveland.
Fortunately for the Cs, Porzingis found his footing in the second half and began to sink some shots. To be more specific, he buried five of ten from the floor, including a pair of triples to tally 19 second-half points.
Despite the change in result, there wasn’t much of a change in shot selection for Boston’s No. 8. He continued to work in his spots and remained confident in his ability to score the ball.
His first make of the half was very similar to the aforementioned early-game miss. Porzingis got the ball against a smaller Max Strus instead of Allen and went to work down low.
A few possessions later, he once again found a way to get himself involved. This time it was by moving without the ball and putting himself in a great position to score from yet another comfortable spot on the floor.
Off the catch, Porzingis made a quick, decisive move against Allen and sank the baby hook.
The big Latvian continued his red-hot third quarter by sinking the only questionable attempt he threw up. He had a clean look from deep after Jrue Holiday dished out of a double team but elected to fake a drive and then step back.
Chalk it up to a heat check, I guess.
After missing a late-shot-clock three, Porzingis capped off his scoring outburst by drilling a pair of shots that, once again, came in the flow of Boston’s offense.
First, he served as the popper in the pick-and-pop. Derrick White drew two defenders off of Porzingis’ screen then dished it over to the big man who sank the three.
A half minute later, he took advantage of a size mismatch against Isaac Okoro and buried an easy turnaround in the paint.
That above shot was his final made field goal of the night, but even his later misses didn’t feel very forced. This three off a White dish was an open look that came after he’d made a few straight.
There’s an argument that this post-push-shot over Allen is a bit forced, but this a type of look that Porzingis has shown that he’s very comfortable taking and making all season.
So, what’s the point of all of this? Well, it’s an example of how the stars on this team can still put their stamp on a win by letting the game come to them, even if they get off to a rough start.
Porzingis didn’t get rattled, he didn’t try and do too much, and he didn’t get tight after failing to convert in the first half. Instead, he stayed true to what he’s meant to do within the Celtics offense and also earned himself seven second-half attempts from the charity stripe.
By doing so, he was able to log a double-double finishing the night with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and a pair of blocked shots.
His game in the win over Cleveland is a perfect example of how Boston’s offense should work on any given night. Sure, he wasn’t efficient, but he didn’t allow that to get in the way of the team. Instead, he worked to earn extra easy looks and set himself up to succeed. The Celtics are simply too talented to let a rough night from any of their stars hold them down. There are just too many options within Joe Mazzulla’s rotation for any one player to have to force up shots with hopes of finding a rhythm.
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