Kristaps Porzingis walked off the court in Game 4 against the Miami Heat with a towel over his head and rage surging through his body. As he finished a dribble-hand-off with Jaylen Brown, he pulled up gingerly, straining his right calf. Following an MRI the next day, it was discovered that he had sustained a soleus strain—the same ailment that kept Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the playoffs and can take weeks to properly heal.

“It’s something, it’s not nothing, you know?” Porzingis told reporters during Celtics practice on Saturday, his first time speaking to the media since his ιnjury. “So it will definitely take some time. But I’m doing everything I can to hurry things up because I want to get back out there as soon as possible. But I understand that the worst thing would be to worsen the situation.

“So, [we] are being smart. And you’d have to consult with medical professionals about the specifics. I’m just following the plan, but I’m hoping to return as soon as I start feeling better.”

With Porzingis absent, the Boston Celtics defeated the Heat in Game 5, providing him more rest time. The Orlando Magic won Game 6 on Friday night and will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 on Sunday, therefore Boston’s next game will be on Tuesday night.

Had the Cavaliers defeated the Magic in six games, the Celtics would have played a Sunday matinee.

Porzingis will need all of the extra time he can get, as he is still a long way from playing again.

“There isn’t a specific date. “It’s still very early,” Porzingis added. “I believe it will become obvious if I start doing more things. It will become evident as I do more. However, we’re not quite there yet. “Not very close yet.”

However, the big man remаins upbeat.

“But we’re expecting to recover at a historic rate,” he remarked, smiling.

The few plays before to the ιnjury were awkward. Porzingis originally rolled his ankle while wrestling Tyler Herro for the rebound. However, the only connection he saw between the two plays was that he may have been favoring his right leg too heavily.

“I rolled my ankle the previous play on offense. I was going for a rebound when I stepped on Herro. “I rolled my ankle,” Porzingis stated. “I came back, maybe started compensating with the other side a little too much, or something. I do not know. Maybe it just happened; I’m not sure. And then, as soon as I pushed off, I felt something and went, ‘Aghh.’

“Did you see my reaction on the court?” But then, after we got the diagnosis, I calmed down and realized that it doesn’t appear to be as severe as I had feared. It’s what it is. Of course, nobody wants to be injured. “But it’s not as bad as it could have been.”

Porzingis remаins confident about his improvement, despite the fact that he has yet to practice on the court.

“I am not on the floor yet. But I hope to start doing things soon,” Porzingis said. “I’m still in the weight room, moving around and gradually building up. And I’d sаy that each day brings a lot of improvement. [It is] still very new, but making progress.”

Earlier this season, Porzingis suffered a similar ιnjury. He missed four games in late November due to a minor calf strain. He returned to the court around two weeks after suffering the ιnjury during Boston’s November 24 game against the Magic.

Unfortunately, his current condition is worsening.

“This one is stronger,” Porzingis explained. “Worse, yes. I didn’t want to use that word, but it is definitely a little harsher. And yes. It’ll probably just take a little longer. But retain a good attitude.”

NBA Playoffs – Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

The conference finals are expected to begin as early as May 19. That is nearly three weeks after Porzingis’ ιnjury on April 29.

Porzingis stated that he hopes to go with the team to the conference semifinals against the Cavaliers or Magic, and that he is continually working with the Celtics’ medical staff to expedite his rehabilitation process.

“At first, it’s just to control the inflammation—start doing some movements and stuff without stretching it too much, and today I had a pretty good day,” Porzingis said about how the ιnjury therapy works. “We took some steps ahead. Start doing new things today, then do some recuperation tomorrow, and I believe I will make a large jump again on Monday.

“Every day, there’s a significant increase. I expect Monday to be excellent, and then we’ll see where things go from there.

In the meantime, Porzingis is eager to see Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Xavier Tillman step up, and he will be available to assist where possible.

“I think it’s going to be good for me to be around, just to see if I can give those guys something, something that I see, and we wanna keep going the way we’re going no matter who’s out,” he was quoted as saying. “I expect these guys to step up and play at a high level.”

But this is difficult for Porzingis. A person who bragged about joining the Celtics during his visit to Boston this past offseason. To lose out on a significant portion of their possible title run—one of the primary reasons he wаnted to be a part of this squad in the first place—is heartbreaking.

“Tough, tough, tough.” “I’m not going to lie, it’s difficult,” Porzingis admitted. “For the first few moments, I was like [sigh]. It brings you down for a moment, but it is what it is. It’s part of the sport. These things occur. And the best I can do now is think, ‘Okay, what’s the next thing I need to do to get healthy as quickly as possible? Follow the plan, make sure I do everything, and just get in that mindset.’ Because I can’t change what happened throughout the game. And that’s it.

“So, just looking forward to making quick steps forward toward being back on the court.”