The Celtics did something after Sunday’s win over the Rockets that surprised some people.
Boston trounced Houston 134-107 at Toyota Center behind solid performances from Jayson Tatum (23 points, six rebounds, six assists) and Jaylen Brown (24 points).
And to the surprise of NBC Sports Boston analysts Brian Scalabrine and Kendrick Perkins, who spent a combined 27 years in the NBA, players from both teams were spotted hugging each other after the game.
“There is no way I am hugging the opponent after a 30-point loss,” Scalabrine said during postgame coverage on NBC Sports Boston. “I don’t understand that. How could there be (people) like, ‘Hey, what’s up?'”
Even if Scalabrine and Perkins were in this situation on opposite teams, neither former player would ever dare do something like the Rockets did Sunday night.
“Even when Scal was playing on the (Chicago) Bulls and Scal and I were playing against each other, there was never hugging on the court,” Perkins said before adding in a more joking tone. “I might see him in the back by the locker room, and because we would always beat Scal and the Bulls, he would always just give me this, ‘Hey, hows the family. Keep it going. I’m proud of you. Keep it moving.’ He was red as an apple. But it’s all good, though, Scal.”
All joking aside, there are two sides to this pancake.
Scalabrine and Perkins represent a more traditional mindset where athletes are expected to remain stone-faced in front of their opponents in situations like this.
But things have changed a bit since Scalabrine and Perkins’ most prominent days in the NBA during the early 2000s. Now, there’s a new generation of players competing in the NBA, which inevitably comes with some changes in mindset. Clearly, this is one of them.
But let’s be clear: There’s no wrong or right answer here, no matter the circumstance. In reality, it’s pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things. It does serve as a small reminder that with changing times come changing mentalities, though.
