Boston Celtics great Cedric Maxwell has positive news for the C's fans worried about Kristaps Porzingis' calf injury.
Ahead of Celtics-Heat Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday, Maxwell provided "inside information" on how Porzingis felt on the team bus after Boston's 102-88 Game 4 win.
"He happened to be on the bus with me and he had the boot on," Maxwell said on NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition, as seen in the video above. "I asked him how he was feeling -- inside information -- and he said, 'I'm feeling a lot better right now.' He said, you know, 'I think I'm gonna be OK.' And for me, that gave me a lot of confidence considering that Porzingis has been hurt before."
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Porzingis shared a similar message on social media after Monday's game.
Earlier on Wednesday, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said the Latvian big man will be reevaluated next week. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the injury could sideline Porzingis for one to two weeks, though it could take longer depending on his rehab.
Based on how the injury initially looked, a one- to two-week absence might be the best-case scenario for Boston. Maxwell believes that while the Celtics will be cautious with their prized offseason addition, they likely dodged a bullet.
"I really feel comfortable about him coming back," he added. "I think it's just gonna be the Celtics are trying to protect him, protect their assets, protect the future of this team."
The Celtics will look to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals without Porzingis on the court on Wednesday night. Tip-off for Game 5 is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with Mike Gorman and Brian Scalabrine on the call for NBC Sports Boston.
