Celtics
"I tried to give what I had."
Kristaps Porzingis struggled in the Celtics' second-round loss to the Knicks. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
By Conor Roche
May 17, 2025 | 10:22 AM
3 minutes to read
Kristaps Porzingis was limited once again in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, playing just 11 minutes in the Celtics’ 119-81 season-ending loss to the Knicks.
A mystery illness plagued the Celtics’ star big throughout the series, which caused him to play just 15.5 minutes per game against the Knicks as he battled fatigue. Porzingis admitted that he felt tired once again following Friday’s loss, saying that he was “cashed.”
The illness Porzingis dealt with also caused his play to drop significantly. He only scored 4.2 points per game while shooting a measly 24 percent from the field, with the Celtics getting outscored by 24 points in the time he was on the court during the series.
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Even as Porzingis struggled with his health and performance, though, he never wanted to sit out for an indefinite period of time.
“No, when I got the approval from the doctors, they don’t believe anything serious can happen,” Porzingis told reporters when asked if he ever considered shutting himself down. “They tested my heart, everything. Then it was just a matter of me, how much I can give. And yeah. I tried to give what I had. It wasn’t much as you could see. But yeah, there was no bigger risk, so I was able to play.”
Kristaps Porzingis on if he knows the illness he’s been dealing with:
“I’m not sure… even right now, I played 11 minutes and I’m gassed. I could just lay down right here and take a little nap, easy.” pic.twitter.com/tQekIsmeoU
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 17, 2025
Heading into the playoffs, it appeared Porzingis had turned a corner after missing eight games in March with the same mystery illness. The big man averaged 21.2 points and 28.5 minutes per game during his last 10 regular season games.
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His play took a notable dip in the postseason, however. Though Porzingis played in all 11 of the Celtics’ playoff games, he averaged just 12 points, 5.8 rebounds and 27.4 minutes per game in the five-game series against Orlando. Against the Knicks, Porzingis missed the entire second half of Games 1 and 5 due to the illness, continuing the concerns about his health.
What was just as concerning was that Porzingis and those who’ve treated him still don’t know what the illness is.
“I’m not sure,” Porzingis told reporters when asked if he knew more about his illness. “I mean, doctors are trying to help as much as possible. It was just some lingering fatigue, some effects.
“It was just extremely weird, and many symptoms that were kind of super weird. So I think nobody has a clear answer. I’ll see how I go from here. Maybe I do some extra testing and some extra stuff and see if we find something. If not, maybe just a reset. Reset for my whole system and that will give my energy levels hopefully back up.”
Now, Porzingis will have some time to rest and recover from whatever it is he’s been dealing with over the last few months. He admitted that he tried to downplay the illness, adding that “it might be the best thing” for him to get some rest before playing for Latvia in EuroBasket in late August and early September.
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“The main thing for me now is just to let my system get into a normal state,” Porzingis said. “Get my energy back up and then I’ll start to look into some things maybe outside of basketball at first, and then the European Championships later in the summer, so I’m excited about that.
“So this summer I expect a nice bounceback for myself and then heading into the next season.”
Of course, there was also another element to the Knicks series that made things a bit more personal for Porzingis. He was drafted by New York and spent the first four seasons of his career there before requesting a trade.
Ever since he was traded to the Mavericks in 2019, Porzingis has been resoundly booed by Knicks fans in his return trips to Madison Square Garden. Porzingis, though, tipped his cap to the New Yorkers who’ve been supporting the Knicks.
“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, that’s very happy for them. I wish them nothing the best. They’re class players that we played against and they’ve done great things and I wish them nothing but success.”
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