Kristaps Porziņģis of the Boston Celtics enjoyed the cold reception he received inside Madison Square Garden during Saturday’s 116-102 win over the New York Knicks.
“I enjoy it, to be honest,” he told reporters following the game. “They went down during my time in Washington. I was still being booed. But now that I’m with the Celtics, things have picked up a little bit.”
He finished with 22 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the triumph.
Porziņģ mentioned in his postgame comments that he hasn’t played for the Knicks in a while. He had a rough divorce with the team, so supporters may be forgiven for being a little raw in the aftermath.
However, the 7’2″ center was moved out prior of the 2019 trade deadline. People seemed to move on, and the Knicks’ emergence as a top-four contender in the Eastern Conference helped in that regard.
Now that Porziņģis is a member of the Celtics, fans have grounds to reignite their enmity towards him. He’s no longer in a different conference or playing a key role on a terrible club; he’s a direct threat to New York’s playoff hopes.
With the Celtics and Knicks sitting first and fourth in the East, their paths may intersect when the regular-season matchup concludes on April 11. Porziņģis may look forward to a seven-game playoff series that guarantees him at least two more.Travel to MSG.
