Former Knicks Star's Rollercoaster Series Continues Amidst Illness

Just one more win stands between the New York Knicks and their first conference finals appearance since 2000, as they've carefully sculpted a 3-2 lead over the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks currently hold all of the cards, with the Celtics entering Game 6 by attempting to outrun elimination for the second-straight outing. They'll have to keep fighting without franchise centerpiece Jayson Tatum, and they won't have the comfort of Boston's TD Garden to play behind this time around.

They did hold serve at home for the first time all series in Game 5, though, with one-time New Yorker Luke Kornet emerging from off of the Celtics' bench to shut the Knicks down. He blocked seven shots and went a perfect 5-5 from the field, saving his team and extending the season to one more game.

What was even more fascinating was his road to big minutes last night. He soaked up much of the time that's usually been allotted to another old friend of the Knicks, Kristaps Porziņģis.

The Latvian big man has had a wildly eventful series, indicative of his time with the Celtics to this point and in the NBA as a whole.

He ascended from rising star status into a bona fide All-Star with the Knicks in his third season before the team flipped him to the Dallas Mavericks, where he quickly fell back down to earth. His status as a potential Luka Doncic running-mate soon disappeared as injuries depleted his asset value, and it wasn't until a stint with the Washington Wizards when he could fully repair his value as a dependable two-way star.

He was the Celtics' X-Factor in his debut season in Boston last year, protecting the rim and scoring all over the court to take pressure off of the three-point happy C's and significant older fellow center Al Horford.

Porziņģis hasn't been nearly as helpful of a presence in Boston's title defense season to this point, missing that same on-court impact while battling even more injuries. His unreliability has come to a head in this second-round series, with a mysterious illness he's been dealing with for months allegedly bogging down his play.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla lowered his minutes yet again after his play continued hurting the team, inserting the game-changing Kornet. Boston fans have long clamored for the adjustment, and it's hard to argue with 4.2 points per game on 24/14/67 percent shooting splits through five games as a professional play-finisher.

This marks multiple second halves that Porziņģis missed has completely missed against the Knicks, following Game 1's similar exit after he, once again, left without a made bucket.

The former Knicks star has been the Celtics' most looming lineup dropper, with whatever he's dealing with sapping him from the strength and endurance that fuels his shooting and effort under the rim. Kornet's likely taken his role for the time being, as Mazzulla can't afford to keep loading minutes onto his star in his hobbled state.