Celtics Will Reportedly Continue to Be Short-Handed in the Eastern Conference Finals

The Boston Celtics are waiting for their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals after dispatching the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1. Either the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers will be facing the Celtics for a chance to make it to the NBA Finals. That series is going to start on Tuesday, May 21 in Boston but unfortunately, one key Celtics starter will miss at least the first two games of the series.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will remain sidelined for the start of the conference finals. The All-Star big man suffered a soleus strain on his right calf in the first-round series against the Miami Heat and missed the entire second-round series against the Cavs.

Celtics News: Kristaps Porzingis Will Remain Sidelines For Start of ECF

The same reporting also suggests that there is optimism that he will return at some point in the series. That will be a huge help for Boston who will need Porzingis to make sure they don't suffer an unexpected loss.

The Celtics are more than capable of beating both the Knicks and the Pacers in the conference finals without Porzingis. However, they definitely need him back and up to full speed for the NBA Finals.

In his stead, the Celtics will continue to start veteran Al Horford and give Luke Kornet extended minutes off the bench. Even though they have both performed admirably in Porzingis' absence, they don't provide the offensive versatility and scoring punch the Latvian center provides.

On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Boston Celtics are currently remarkable -155 favorites to win the championship over the field this season.

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