Kendrick Perkins questions the Celtics' championship credentials
Kendrick Perkins isn't convinced the Boston Celtics can win a championship. He has seen his former team be floated as favorites in recent seasons, only to fail once the playoffs got underway.
He's also not sold on how Kristaps Porzingis has improved the team, citing a lack of meaningful postseason appearances for the 7-foot-2 center.
"We have revisited this topic so many times over the past two and a half or three seasons," Perkins said. "Because we've seen this movie before. The Celtics are not judged on regular season. Jayson Tatum is not judged on regular season. We haven't even seen Kristaps Porzingis in a meaningful playoff game. I don't know what he's gonna do in a series ... I can't sit up here on national television and say the Celtics are up there in a tier of their own."
Boston has made it to four Eastern Conference Finals during the Jayson Tatum era. They've progressed to the NBA Finals once, losing to the Golden State Warriors in 2022. This summer, Brad Stevens re-tooled Boston's roster, adding Jrue Holiday and Porzingis. The Celtics look like the most talented team in the NBA.
However, the postseason is different. It's a clean slate. It's a season within a season. Just because you held a dominant regular-season record doesn't mean you're going to dominate in the playoffs.
Still, the Celtics have continuity. They have familiarity. They're experienced. And they're talented.
Assuming they remain healthy, there's no reason they shouldn't be back in the Finals at the end of the season. Failure to get there would be a major upset.
Nevertheless, it's logical and fair to have doubts about the Celtics. They've been here before and failed to reach the summit. After so many near misses, they have to prove they can be a championship team.
Otherwise, Stevens may have to explore ways of rebuilding this team rather than just re-tooling.
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