Kendrick Perkins took the Celtics’ playoff flop hard, and no one felt the former Boston center’s wrath more than Kyrie Irving.
Irving was terrible in the Celtics’ second-round NBA playoff series against the Bucks, which ended Wednesday night when Milwaukee eliminated Boston with a 116-91 win in Game 5. And Perkins let the All-Star point guard know it Thursday on FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” calling Irving’s performance in the Eastern Conference finals “disrespectful” to the Celtics organization and the city of Boston.
"In this series I think the way Kyrie went about it was disrespectful to the city of Boston, disrespectful to the organization and he didn't represent what Celtic Pride is all about… He was a bad leader and it was proven he's not a Batman." — @KendrickPerkins pic.twitter.com/OcUQG8rJ6V
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 9, 2019
Perkins, who played parts of eight seasons with the Celtics (2003-11) and won a title in 2008, was very vocal during Boston’s playoff run. He said after the Celtics’ Game 4 loss that the team “showed no heart” and “played selfish basketball,” before then taking aim at Irving for not being “a Batman” in terms of leadership.
The Celtics’ listless effort in Game 5 clearly brought Perkins’ frustration to another level, though, especially with Boston’s best player again failing to meet expectations.
It’s probably fair to assume Perkins agrees with Cowherd, who suggested Thursday that Irving simply doesn’t “fit” with the Celtics or the city of Boston.
