SUMMARY
- The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
- Kendrick Perkins believes that the Heat have no chance to avoid a sweep.
Kendrick Perkins did not mince his words when discussing the chances of the Miami Heat in their matchup against the Boston Celtics. The NBA world will be aware that the Heat and Celtics have formed a rivalry in recent times. Both teams have matched up in the first round of the playoffs after the Celtics secured the #1 spot in the East and the Heat got the #8th spot.
Since Jimmy Butler managed to help Miami eliminate Boston from the Eastern Conference Finals last season, a rematch between both sides was filled with anticipation. While one may expect this to be a close series, Perkins feels differently and claims that there was nothing that the Heat could do to win. Now that the context has been provided, let us take a closer look and find out what the former NBA star had to say.
Kendrick Perkins believes that the Miami Heat do not have enough star power to keep up with the Celtics
It is well known throughout the basketball community that injuries and matchups play a huge role in deciding the outcome of a 7 game playoff series. This certainly holds true in the ongoing Heat-Celtics series. After all, Jimmy Butler sustained an injury during the play-in tournament and is expected to miss most of if not this whole series.
“There really are levels to this. I mean, the Miami Heat could go 100 percent from the field and 100 percent from 3, and they’re still going to get swept…They just don’t have the personnel to match up with the Boston Celtics.”
“The Miami Heat could go 100% from the field and 100% from the 3 and they’re still gonna get swept in this series.” 😳
– Kendrick Perkins pic.twitter.com/bRAf1EhVM7
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 21, 2024
While Kendrick Perkins may be making a valid point about the lack of personnel, it is undoubtedly an exaggeration that going perfect from the three-point line wouldn’t be enough to win a single game and prevent a sweep. This might lead one to wonder why Kendrick Perkins is taking a strong stance supporting the Celtics in this matchup.
Perkins played 8 seasons with the Celtics and also won an NBA championship with them
It turns out that the Celtics are Perkins’ old team and the franchise that he spent the majority of his NBA career playing for. This certainly explains why he feels a strong sense of confidence in the team. Moreover, they are the superior team in the absence of Jimmy Butler.