By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Latvian big men had a dreamy debut against the team that drafted him, scoring 30 points and breaking a record. He became the Celtic’s debutant with most points after Dominique Wilkins, who had 25 in his first game for Boston.
However, after the match he gave credit to the team.
“I think it was a team effort. Everybody made some key plays at the end, some important ones. Payton (Pritchard) came in late, cold, without a warmup, hit two big free throws. I think it was a team effort, with JT (Tatum) leading us. JT was great today, and yeah. Great win on the road to start the season,” Porzingis said.
He also stepped up as one of the leaders of the group, being vocal in the huddles.
“I think everybody’s experienced enough not to overreact to these kind of things. You know, you’re on the road, the Garden gets loud, and fans get crazy, and we just have to stay poised, and that’s what we did and it worked out for us.”
Porzingis admits he felt great making his regular season debut for the Celtics, and is looking forward for what is to come.
“It felt great. I was happy about the first quarter. I just didn’t feel great at first, but I was happy about the first quarter; we started off really good as a team. The game changes, and then again, later in the game, I had opportunities and went back into the game, made free throws, made some shots, and that’s it. I love the way we played; I love the way we stayed in the game throughout all the tough moments; and I’m excited about what’s coming ahead of us.”
Latvian player also pointed out the importance of defense.
“First of all, something we already knew in we’re a talented group. Even when the offense wasn’t great for us, that we can lock in defensively and keep them almost around 100 points, which is, you know, really good. We have to make sure we bring that defense every night.“