BOSTON — When the Celtics host the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA on Monday night, it’ll once again mark a reunion between Kristaps Porzingis and a former squad in a high-stakes Celtics playoff series.
Porzingis, who was drafted by the Knicks with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, heard boos on draft night almost a decade ago and had an up-and-down three-year Knicks tenure that resulted in his trading to the Dallas Mavericks in 2019 after tearing his ACL.
Now, almost six years later, the Latvian center returns to to compete against the organization with which he started his NBA career — hoping to have a better series than he did against Orlando.