The Boston Celtics have two video games remaining within the common season earlier than they start their quest for Banner No. 18.
Boston has the league’s finest general report of 62-18. It has clinched the No. 1 seed within the Japanese Convention and homecourt benefit via the playoffs. The C’s are 35-17 in opposition to groups presently slated to look within the NBA Playoffs.
So why is Kendrick Perkins frightened concerning the Celtics’ capacity to seize the NBA title this season? One phrase … toughness.
“Joe Mazzulla, he can go into postgame interviews, and he can attempt to downplay it as a lot as he desires,” Perkins mentioned on ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday. “However the concern stage is excessive. The phrase is out concerning the Boston Celtics. You get into them, you make them uncomfortable and shut out, you pound the offensive glass … you’re gonna have a shot at beating them.”
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The Celtics are ranked twentieth within the league in offensive rebounds with a negative-0.5 differential, averaging 10.6 per recreation. Nonetheless, they’re second to solely the Phoenix Suns in defensive rebounds with a plus-3.2 differential, despite the fact that the C’s have essentially the most defensive rebounds per recreation with 35.6.
“I’m gonna go down, and I’m going to level at one explicit particular person on the subject of the Celtics … Kristaps Porzingis,” Perkins mentioned. “And, sure, I perceive that he has been phenomenal this season. He’s primary within the league in post-ups, I get that. He’s carried out a superb job of defending the basket, I get that.
“However can he maintain up all through the postseason? Via 4 seven-game collection and assist the Celtics cling one other banner? These are the query marks as a result of he’s going to have his battles, whether or not that’s in opposition to Joel Embiid or if Giannis (Antetokounmpo) comes again.”
Perkins didn’t simply level out the Celtics’ struggles with offensive rebounds but additionally closing out video games.
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“All it’s important to do is make the sport shut,” Perkins mentioned. “Don’t allow them to run away with the sport as a result of we all know how horrible they’ve been in late-game moments … particularly Jayson Tatum.
“One of many worst for us closing out video games, one of many worst for us at recreation time or game-winning subject objectives. So, on the finish of the day, they’ve loads of query marks.”
Whereas the Celtics have run via the Japanese Convention at 22-10 this season, Perkins mentioned the “East is not any comparability” to the Western Convention. Boston is 13-7 in Western Convention matchups with the Denver Nuggets being the one staff to beat the C’s twice.
The Celtics host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday evening and the Washington Wizards to shut out the common season. The postseason begins on April 20.
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“Nobody is watching the Celtics proper now though they’ve the most effective report within the league,” Perkins mentioned. “They’ve 60 wins-plus, however we need to see what they do when it issues essentially the most.”
Boston received’t know its first-round opponent till the conclusion of the Play-In Event on April 19.
