Boston Celtics get less than ideal injury update on Kristaps Porzingis ahead of ECF

As the Boston Celtics prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals, it's safe to assume that Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined for the foreseeable future.

With an 8-2 record, the Boston Celtics have been the most dominant team in the NBA Playoffs. And as they prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics are going to be the overwhelming favorite to come out of the East and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. However, if the Celtics plan on doing so, whether that's against the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers, they may have to do so without Kristaps Porzingis.

After suffering a calf injury in Game 4 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, the recent injury update has Kristaps missing at least Games 1 and 2 of the conference finals. And there's a chance he could miss more than that too. Despite that update, there is hope that Kristaps could return later in the conference finals, it may be the safer play for the Celtics to keep him sidelined until the NBA Finals.

Especially if the Celtics are going to be matching up with a banged-up Knicks team or an inferior team (from a talent perspective) such as the Pacers. Either way, it's probably a safe bet that we won't see Kristaps back in the lineup for the Celtics until late in the conference finals (if it even gets that far) or at the start of the NBA Finals.

The difficulty in integrating Kristaps Porzingis back into the lineup for the Boston Celtics

Of course, one other concern that the Celtics could have is integrating a rusty Kristaps back into the lineup on the NBA's biggest stage. That could end up spelling a disaster for Boston. Without knowing how rusty Kristaps may or may not be, the Celtics could find themselves in a difficult spot with his potential return.

In an ideal world, Kristaps would have a few games to work his way back into shape. The Celtics may not have that luxury as he may not be ready to return until the NBA Finals. At that point, the Celtics can't be toying and experimenting with integrating Kristaps back into the lineup.

Nevertheless, it's not a bad thing to welcome back Kristaps, even if it isn't until the NBA Finals. But just because it isn't bad, that doesn't mean it will be easy. The Celtics are still the heavy favorites to punch their ticket to the championship, with or without Kristaps. But there's a good chance they could be forced into a difficult spot when it comes to Kristaps heading into the NBA Finals.