Kristaps Porziņģis returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time in a Celtics uniform on Wednesday night. And Knicks fans weren’t exactly welcoming to the nine-year NBA veteran.
After the center was booed during pregame introductions, chants of “F— Porziņģis” resounded throughout the game between Atlantic Division rivals. But Porziņģis, who played for the Knicks from 2015 to ’19, appeared to feed off the negative energy, channeling it into a 30-point effort in Boston’s 108–104 win over New York.
“The crowd chanting that for me, it was fun,” Porziņģis told reporters afterward, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I was just enjoying that and kind of using that as motivation, motivation to make some big plays at the end.”
Kristaps Porzingis on the "F– Porzingis chants" late: "The crowd chanting that for me, it was fun. I was just enjoying that and kind of using that as motivation, motivation to make some big plays at the end.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 26, 2023
"It was really, really fun to play in that type of environment."
Knicks fans obviously still hold a grudge against Porziņģis for demanding a trade out of New York. (He threatened to play in Europe if the team didn’t move him.) Seeing him in a Celtics uniform, playing with the Eastern Conference co-favorites, was surely further irritating.
The 7’ 3” sharpshooter was particularly lethal toward the game’s end, scoring nine points in the final 2 1/2 minutes to clinch the victory. Porzingis added eight rebounds and four blocks in an impressive performance.
“It was really, really fun to play in that type of environment,” he added.
