There's just something weird about Kendrick Perkins' relationship with the Boston Celtics. He can't seem to decide whether he believes in them or not.
The 2008 NBA champion seems to have found consistency over the latter half of the 2022-23 season, as his opinion on the Celtics is more often than not negative. Perkins floated theories about Boston not respecting head coach Joe Mazzulla and star Jaylen Brown wanting out, and he expressed concern over the overall health of the Celtics.
Now, he's claiming that Boston should be "praying" not to see the Miami Heat in the postseason. Yes, the 43-37 Heat.
"Here's what I am concerned about," Perkins said Friday on ESPN's "First Take." "If the Miami Heat get the No. 7 seed, they're going to match up with the Boston Celtics, which I believe is going to happen. We saw what happened last year when they went toe-to-toe in the conference finals. They were a Jimmy Butler 3-pointer away from getting sent home, and I'm talking about the Celtics.
"If I'm the Celtics, I'm praying that I don't see Jimmy Butler, playoff Jimmy Butler, and the Miami Heat in the first round. If I'm the Celtics, I'm praying that I don't have to see Erik Spoelstra matched up with Joe Mazzulla in the first round, when it comes down to making adjustments."
On a surface level, Perkins has a point. The Heat have matched up well with the Celtics this season, with the teams splitting their season series 2-2. There also was the 2022 Eastern Conference finals, which went the aforementioned seven games and was one shot away from the result being flipped.
It just doesn't feel possible that this iteration of the Celtics could actually lose a series to these Heat. Miami has high-end talent but has limped throughout the season with injuries catching up to a roster full of aging stars and grinders.
The Heat have been described as "frisky" entering the postseason due to Butler and company, but the Celtics will enter at full strength and on plenty of rest. Miami's best shot is to make things interesting, but winning the series feels like the longest of long shots.
