Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins wants to make sure that you and everybody else on the planet knows that the Los Angeles Lakers did not truly win the NBA Championship this past June. Sure, Kobe Bryant and crew hoisted the trophy at the end of an intense seven-game battle, but a perpetually confident Perkins isn’t buying any of it. In fact, Perkins essentially guaranteed that Boston would win this year’s title and would have definitely knocked off the Lakers last season too, if not for his injury in Game 6.
Now those are some pretty intense, bulletin-board material fightin’ words!
Through it all, Perkins has never wavered from his belief that had he not been injured in the opening minutes of Game 6 and missed Game 7, the Boston Celtics would have secured their one missing victory over the Los Angeles Lakers and celebrated their second title in three years.
“For sure,” Perkins said, “we would have won the championship.”
The Celtics have somehow managed to cling to the Eastern Conference’s best record, which is why Perkins believes they will win this season’s championship if they’re all healthy for the playoffs.
“In seven games I don’t think we can be beat by any team,” he said. “Too deep. Too much experience. Too many hard-working guys. Too many guys that have a chip on their shoulder.”
Perkins, of course, was lost in the Finals to a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the opening minutes of Game 6 - had the Celtics won that contest they would have defeated the defending champs 4-2 and claimed their 18th title. Unfortunately for Perk and the rest of the Celtics they were routed 89-67 in that game and then blew a 13-point cushion in Game 7.
After undergoing reconstructive surgery and intense rehabilitation Perkins, and his ever-menacing scowl, are close to returning to the hardwood and he appears to be thinking mid-June just a tad prematurely.
While I’m glad Perkins, Coach Doc Rivers, and the rest of the team are confident their claims that their current starting five is “undefeated” in the playoffs intact is starting to get a bit ridiculous and kind of old.
Everyone goes through injury problems (ask the Mavs) and claiming that if your health held up you would have been crowned champs could be said for a plethora of other title hopefuls over the years. The Lakers were without a healthy Bynum in three straight NBA Finals and you don’t hear them making those kinds of claims.
Well, they have suggested it, just in a more subtle fashion. Besides, they did emerge victorious last year and Bynum was not terribly productive.
Think the Lakers could have used Wilt Chamberlain during the last five minutes of the 1970 NBA Finals? Maybe if Magic and Byron Scott hadn’t pulled hamstrings they would have come back against the Pistons in 1989? Would the Blazers have won more titles if legendary center Bill Walton had stayed healthy for more than one season? How about if Tim Duncan hadn’t been unable to play during the 2000 playoffs? What if Karl Malone hadn’t been hurt in the 2004 Finals?
We could go on and on with this, of course. The point here is that Perkins, and some of the other Celtics, are starting to sound like bitter crybabies, and for a die-hard Celtics fan like myself this is unacceptable.
Where is Bill Belichick when you need him?!
Injuries are a part of the game so let’s not get carried away and state matter-of-factly that Boston would have won the title last year and make outrageous claims guaranteeing a championship this season already if they somehow enter the postseason healthy.
Regardless of these rather arrogant comments I look forward to seeing you back on the court soon, Perk. We need you!
What do you think? Would the Celtics have won if Perkins played in the seventh game?