As Celtics await Finals opponent, Joe Mazzulla confirms Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t suffered any setbacks

AUERBACH CENTER — Speaking to the media for the first time since the night the Celtics punched their ticket to the NBA Finals, Joe Mazzulla touched on a number of topics, most notably confirming that Kristaps Porzingis has not suffered any setbacks as he works to return to the lineup from a soleus strain suffered last month.

“He’s gotten better each day, I know he’s working hard,” Mazzulla said, but didn’t offer specifics as to what kinds of on-court activities Porzingis has been engaged in. “He’s progressing well, and he’s working really hard to get back.”

The Celtics once again find themselves playing the waiting game, not yet knowing who their next opponent will be. This is now their fourth time monitoring see the other side of the postseason bracket — first, it was seeing who would come out of the play-in, then they tuned in for a Game 7 between Orlando and Cleveland, and most recently, they awaited the results of a Game 7 between New York and Indiana to see who they’d face in the Eastern Conference Finals.

After sweeping the Pacers, they’re now awaiting their Finals opponent. Dallas is up 3-1 on Minnesota, and could close the series out tonight with a win. In that case, the Celtics would have a week to prepare for the Mavericks. If the Timberwolves win tonight, it will be another few days of waiting for Boston.

Regardless, Joe Mazzulla said the team is focused inwards while scouts prepare for both outcomes.

“Practice is all about the details and the margins,” Mazzulla said. “Making sure we get better as a team, making sure we get better defensively, offensively, making sure we understand our situational philosophies and situational execution, things that go into winning, the same things we’ve been doing all year. Regardless of who wins, we’ve got to get better, so we’ll do that tomorrow.”