Kristaps Porzingis' return sparks Celtics in Game 1 of NBA Finals - ESPN

BOSTON — On a night the Celtics honored Hall of Famer Bill Walton, the franchise took a massive step toward claiming a record-setting 18th NBA championship thanks to Kristaps Porzingis reprising Walton's sixth-man role.

Porzingis, playing in his first game in more than five weeks due to a calf strain he suffered in the first round, had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in 20 minutes Thursday night, leading the Celtics to a 107-89 demolition of the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

It was Porzingis' first playoff game outside the first round, and it came against his former team.

«Kristaps had a monster game for us,» Jaylen Brown said. «Just his presence shooting the ball and then him being able to attack those switches and mismatches, he made 'em pay every time, and that's what we need going forward in the series.»

Porzingis' status had been the dominant storyline over the 10 days between the end of the Eastern Conference finals, which saw the Celtics sweep the Indiana Pacers, and the start of the NBA Finals Thursday. He hadn't played since Game 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat.

Porzingis returned to practice last Friday, and while he confirmed he would play at media day Wednesday, Porzingis admitted he wasn't sure what his conditioning level would be until he played in a game. Things became interesting when, half an hour before Thursday's tipoff, Boston announced that Al Horford would remain in the starting lineup, meaning Porzingis would come off the bench.

But then, with just under 10 minutes remaining on the pregame clock and as most of the rest of the Celtics were on the court warming up, Porzingis was shown on the jumbotron walking out to the court. He received a gigantic ovation from the