Celtics' Kristaps Porziņģis to Return from Injury for NBA Finals Game 1 vs. Mavs

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porziņģis confirmed he will play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.

He hasn't suited up since Boston's 102-88 win over the Miami Heat on April 29 due to a calf strain.

On Tuesday, Porziņģis struck an optimistic tone about his availability for the start of the Finals but wasn't definitive.

And while we now know he's going to play, it sounds like his usage is still uncertain.

During the regular season, acquiring Porziņģis worked out exactly as Boston had hoped. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

The 7'2" big man provided the floor-spacing and size inside that were lacking, and the Celtics didn't sacrifice anything in terms of their perimeter defense. One fear was that opposing teams would exploit Porziņģis in switches and pick-and-rolls, and that hasn't been the case too much.

Boston has navigated its way to the Finals despite him missing much of the playoffs but hasn't exactly navigated through a murderers' row of opponents.

The Miami Heat were without Jimmy Butler in the opening round. The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't have Jarrett Allen or Donovan Mitchell toward the end of their conference semifinals series. The Indiana Pacers were toast when Tyrese Haliburton went down in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Dallas is bound to give the Celtics their stiffest test of the postseason. Having Porziņģis even at 70 or 80 percent of his usual self will be a big boost for their title hopes.