In the Boston Celtics’ opening game of the 2023-24 NBA season, the focus was squarely on star big man Kristaps Porzingis and his impact on the Celtics’ play on both ends of the court as the Latvian center set league and team records on the strength of his debut performance.
Garnering comparisons to Boston Hall of Fame greats Kevin Garnett and even Larry Bird in the wake of that performance, some are questioning as to whether the Celtics may have struck gold by dealing for the former Washington Wizards star. Could he be as impactful on a Celtics run at a title as Garnett was for his version of the team on their way to the ball club’s 17th title in 2008?
Such comparisons seem almost blasphemous at first blush, but when you take a closer look at two stretches of play where Boston couldn’t get over the hump followed by a big shakeup to get the goods, you can bet that if a banner does indeed get hung that such comparisons are going to abound.
To talk it over, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast convened on a recent episode. Check it out above!
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
