STARRING ROLE
OAKLAND, Calif. — Call him Mr. February. In his third season, Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis was named to his first All-Star Game — likely the first of many — as a frontcourt reserve. He was voted in by the NBA’s coaches, fulfilling a lifelong mission as the first Latvian to play in the premier event.
“Dream of mine came true,’’ Porzingis said. “I’m an All-Star this year and it’s only the beginning.’’
Before the announcement was official Tuesday evening, Porzingis tweeted a late-afternoon hint that he was Los Angeles-bound for All-Star Weekend, Feb. 16-18, at Staples Center.
The tweet read: “Just a Kid from Latvia,” along with a picture of him high-fiving fans. It seemed a signal Porzingis had learned of his honor.
Porzingis tweeted it after learning he was about to be named an All-Star from his brother/agent Janis.
“He was the first one to text me,’’ Porzingis said. “He let me know. I called him on FaceTime. It was a good moment for us. We’ve been through a lot, been working hard to achieve something that’s never been done before for a Latvian. It’s pretty special.”
At 22 years old, Porzingis is the second-youngest All-Star in Knicks history. Bill Cartwright was 15 days younger in the 1980 game.
“It’s a feeling of satisfaction,’’ Porzingis said. “It gives you motivation and hunger to keep going and not stop at the first good thing.”
Porzingis sat out Tuesday’s 123-112 loss against the Warriors with knee soreness, mostly in order to be ready for a back-to-back set in Denver and Phoenix to finish up this six-game trip against the Western Conference.
Porzingis hurt himself blocking Joakim Noah’s shot during Monday’s practice and landing badly, hobbling off the court. He didn’t practice any further but did do extra weight lifting and shooting — the last Knick to leave the gym.
“My knee is sore,’’ Porzingis said. “I twisted it in practice. It didn’t feel right. I hope to be back next game, hopefully. It’s nothing that bad, but it’s pretty sore.”
Porzingis said it was a joint decision with the Knicks to miss the game.
“If I can’t play well then I’m not going to do well for my team,’’ Porzingis said. “The medical staff didn’t want me to play in this one, also. That’s how the decision was made.”
The other East frontcourt reserves are Kevin Love and Al Horford, with Detroit’s Andre Drummond missing out and tweeting his anger. The Pistons are in playoff position while the Knicks are 21-27.
“The team success is very important,’’ Porzingis said. “And there are ups and downs during the season. I still believe the playoffs are achievable for us. That’s the goal for us. Nobody is expecting us to win a championship this year. I try to play as consistent as I could to help the team.”
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said Porzingis “definitely deserves it.’’
“It’s great for us,’’ Hornacek said. “KP worked really hard this summer. He got put in a different role this year. Once we made the [Carmelo Anthony] trade, he had to be our main guy.’’
Knicks shooting guard Courtney Lee said Porzingis was an obvious pick.
“He’s taking on responsibility as a guy we’re looking to get us going on both ends of the floor,’’ Lee said. “He’s putting in work and I mean, the numbers speak for itself.”
Porzingis is averaging 23.4 points and leads the league in blocks (2.4). But he has seen a drop-off in his shooting from the season’s first month, when he posted eight 30-point games in the first 11 he played. His shooting percentage is down to 43.6 percent. Since the start of December, Porzingis has shot 40.3 percent.
“You’ve got to understand how hard that is,’’ Lee said. “He was averaging 30 and you’ve got to realize that teams are going to start preparing for him differently, start double-teaming him, and that’s going to slow anybody down. It’s not that he’s had a let off or he’s not willing to continue to do that. For those people that are disappointed ... doing it against a double-team is tough.”
Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green, expecting a tough matchup, gave Porzingis kudos for improving this season before learning he would not play.
“He’s 7-3, so you got to try something,’’ Green said. “Try not to let him get to his spots, he can shoot right over anybody. So it’s just kind of something I experimented with. Had a little success with it. But he’s a much different player now. Stronger. Smarter. Better. So same things you can do to somebody as a rookie don’t quite work in Year 3.”