Kristaps: ‘tired’ remark was to throw off Heat
MIAMI — A refreshed Kristaps Porzingis joked Friday morning at shootaround at American-Airlines Arena he purposely said he was “so tired” after a game Wednesday against the Wizards to give the Heat a false sense of security.
Porzingis’ remark after his twopoint second half in Washington created a kerfuffle. The 7-foot-3 Latvian attempted to clarify the comment Friday. He said he felt temporarily exhausted only because of the back-to-back and wasn’t trying to make “excuses.”
“I feel good now,” Porzingis said.
But Porzingis didn’t have a real good game. He finished with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting in a 107-103 overtime loss. He played 36 minutes, committed two turnovers and didn’t take a shot across the final 6:41, including OT. When the Knicks made their 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter, Porzingis was on the bench, and reserves such as Michael Beasley (20 points) got them back into the game.
Porzingis felt bad he didn’t aid Beasley enough as the duo became Jeff Hornacek’s big-man tandem the final 6:30 of regulation.
“He’s bailing us out a lot of times, just playing one-on-one, creating something,” Porzingis said of Beasley. “We can’t keep doing that for long, but a lot of times, he does save us.”
Before the contest, Hornacek admitted he may scale back Porzingis with shorter stints to save him for the fourth quarter. The Knicks coach said he will consider resting Porzingis later this month during their seven-game road trip, likely in Denver on the first night of a back-to-back that finishes in Phoenix.
Porzingis reported he felt much better after a day off here, though disappointed about the relatively chilly weather, with temperatures in the 40s for part of the day in South Florida.
“Every day off helps, especially after a back-to-back that we had,’’ Porzingis said. ‘That’s what I meant. I was tired after the backto-back. A day off always helps.’’
Asked if his comments were misinterpreted, Porzingis said: “All I know is of course after a playing a back-to-back, everyone feels tired if you play hard. It does matter to have a day in between. It was a strategy to make the Miami Heat relax a little bit. ‘Oh, he’s tired.’ That’s why I did it.”
It’s a serious issue, however, that Porzingis, 22, may have gotten thrust into the role as No. 1 option and franchise player too early. Porzingis said that’s not the case.
“It’s physically harder, [but] that’s something I was preparing myself for,” Porzingis said. “It’s not something all of a sudden it hit me and now I have to prepare myself for it. I have to be ready for it if I want to be the guy. There can’t be any excuses with so many minutes I’m playing.”
Porzingis also added he still believes he’ll wind up as an All-Star, despite early returns showing he’s in fourth place among frontcourt starters in fan voting, which makes up 50 percent of the tally. The top three frontcourt players are automatic selections and the coaches pick reserves.
Porzingis is behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Joel Embiid in the East’s frontcourt voting.
“It’s a dream of mine to be an All-Star since I got to the NBA,” Porzingis said. “That’s something I want to achieve individually, also realizing that’s not how you want to be remembered as only a good individual player. A lot of that will come with winning. If we win, we’re all going to look good.”
In a new format, the two captains pick the sides but coaches still select the reserves. Despite shooting just 39.7 percent in the past 19 games, with his scoring average dropping to 23.8, Porzingis is a strong favorite to get the coaches’ vote.
“I believe so,” Porzingis said. “I think with all the different things I’ve seen this season from other coaches, with double-teams and all that, the coaches are paying a lot of attention to me. And hopefully in their eyes, I deserve that spot.”