BOSTON — Kendrick Perkins came out on the wrong end of “Gino Time” on Sunday.
The former Celtics big man, now a Cleveland Cavaliers reserve, watched from the visiting bench as his old squad capped off a 117-78 rout of the Cavs by blaring the beloved TD Garden anthem, reserved only for blowouts.
“It was different,” said Perkins, who won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008. “I was looking forward to seeing him, though. It had been a while. It was good just to be back. It’s always good to be back in Boston. The fans are great, organization is great. Always a good feeling to be back.”
Perkins’ Cavs are headed to the NBA playoffs this season — a foregone conclusion ever since LeBron James made the decision last summer to return to his old stomping grounds. What nobody expected, however, is that the Celtics more than likely will be joining James & Co. in the postseason.
Sunday’s win reduced Boston’s magic number to one, meaning one more win or an Indiana Pacers or Brooklyn Nets loss would clinch a playoff spot for the C’s.
“I’m actually proud of them,” Perkins said before Sunday’s game. “They battled through a whole lot of adversity, as far as just, you lose (Rajon) Rondo, you don’t know what to expect, but they kept pushing. They’ve got some nice young guys who come in and play hard every night, making big plays. The way (Celtics guard) Avery Bradley’s been playing this whole season, he’s been playing really well.
“A lot of guys (have) been stepping up for them. And they’ve been playing good basketball. You can tell they are sharing the ball well; they love playing with each other and have a chance to make the playoffs, so I’m extra proud of them.”
Some additional notes from Sunday’s action:
— The Celtics honored newly elected Basketball Hall of Famer Jo Jo White with a video tribute before the second quarter.
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— Boston finished with 20 steals in the win, one shy of the franchise record. It also was the Celtics’ fourth straight game with 10 or more steals — their longest such streak since 2005.
— With much of the postgame chatter centering around the potential for playoff basketball in Boston, Celtics guard Evan Turner was asked to recall the playoff series he played at the Garden.
They weren’t the fondest of memories for Turner, whose Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Celtics in seven games in the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals.
“It was fun, man,” he said. “Actually, we had (the Celtics) in Game 1, and I think that somebody called the referees to say if we win the series, it would drop the ratings, and everybody would lose (money). So, we sacrificed that, and that was it. But it was definitely fun.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
