With the Boston Celtics on a three-game skid, Kendrick Perkins didn’t hold back Tuesday when asked about his former team on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“Hell yeah, I’m concerned about the Celtics,” Perkins answered. “I’m nervous as hell about the Celtics. Not only have they blown three games in a row while they were up double figures; it’s the perimeter defense. It’s the discipline on the offensive end. It’s the lack of respect that they have for coach Joe Mazzulla.”
Perkins explained that if Mazzulla had the respect of his players, they would not be taking horrible shots on offense. Perkins not only pointed out Boston’s bad decision-making on offense. He also added the Celtics defensively were giving up too many points to their opponents.
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To Perkins, the Celtics have the “most at stake” for winning an NBA championship this season and the most “pressure” on them compared to the other 29 teams in the league.
“If the Celtics don’t make it to the Finals this year, say they make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and they lose and don’t make it,” Perkins said. “What’s next for them? Now, you have the question mark, can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown actually get it done together? Which is a huge question mark.”
Perkins went on to say Tatum and Brown are the best duo in the league, so they should have no problems when they have players like Marcus Smart and Al Horford complementing them.
Mazzulla admitted he made mistakes in the Celtics’ recent double-overtime loss to the Knicks, but Perkins said the “city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts” are not worried about Mazzulla being a young, first-year coach. Perkins said they just want to win now and there are “zero excuses from a talent perspective.”
