The New York Knicks handily defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the pair's second-round playoff duel on Friday night, thereby winning the series 4-2 and eliminating the defending Celtics from contention.
Although the Knicks had been making a case for themselves from the get, the Celtics' chances were severely damaged when star Jayson Tatum went out with what was later determined to be a ruptured Achilles in Game 4. Boston did manage to win the next contest without him, but it still felt like, even at that point, the series was New York's to lose.
Speaking after the game, which was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis had nothing but praise for the opposing fan base, and even classily tipped his hat to the Knicks for their big win.
"The support from the Knicks fans was through the roof tonight and all throughout the playoffs," Porzingis said. "Unbelievable fans, unbelievable city. And there's a side of me that's very, very happy for them. I wish them nothing but the best. They're class players that we played against and they've done great things and I wish them nothing but success."
Watch that below:
A very classy message from a very classy guy.
Porzingis, who played just 11 minutes on Friday night, also took a moment to open up about the mysterious illness he has been dealing with during the team's playoff run.
"I don't know, my system is not perfect right now," he said. "It's not working the way it should be. Many weird things and it might be that the best thing I need right now is just rest. Get somewhere in the sun and let my system kind of even itself out. But it's definitely a very frustrating time for me."
Hopefully, he can use the offseason to rest and recover. And surely now that they know he is rooting for them, Knicks fans wish nothing but the best for him, too.
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