The depressing news comes via ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan:
Perkins was hopeful, saying: “I’m going to try to give it a go [on Thursday].” But a team source told ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan: “He’s done.”
Perkins underwent X-rays during the Lakers’ 89-67 win that tied the series at 3. He suffered sprains to both his medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament, sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher. The team said that Perkins will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, which likely means an MRI to ascertain the extent of the damage.
More than anything, I feel for Perk. With all the irate talk—from fans on both sides wearing green and gold-colored glasses—about which team has the worst floppers, the series now loses one player who is indisputably not a flopper. He’s nasty, he gets too many technicals, he complains too much, but Kendrick Perkins is one bad mother, and I’m proud he’s a Celtic. It is always sad when a core player has to miss a crucial game, the sort of game for which he has prepared his entire career.
And guess who has the best unadjusted plus/minus on the entire team in the playoffs?
That would be Perk, according to Basketball Value. The team is about 8 points better per 100 possessions with Perk on the floor versus with him on the bench, and it is performing better on both sides of the ball with Perk in the line-up.
Giant caveats: The sample size is small (23 games now), and Perk’s adjusted plus/minus (which seeks to adjust for quality of teammates, opponents and other factors) is basically neutral. But the trend is the same in the regular season numbers. The team was loads better offensively and defensively with Perk on the floor, but his adjusted plus/minus is neutral.
Get well, Perk. The team will need you next season, too.
The Lakers are dealing with their own ailing center, Sheridan reports.
It sounds like Bynum will give it a go in Game 7, but his best moments in this series may be behind him:
“[Bynum] wasn’t able to move very fluidly the second half,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. “He had some tightness in the back of his leg. He just said, ‘You’ve got to take me out. I can’t run.’ And it was obvious at that point that he couldn’t. He had some swelling in the back of his leg, and we’ll have to work on that and see if they can’t ice it down and control that.”
Also: Rondo got four stitches to his chin after the shot he took from Artest.
Bottom line: Both teams are banged up, and there’s one game left in the season to determine the NBA champion. The C’s are underdogs now. Do they have one special effort left in them?
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yeah, good point LakeShow, that is so true. like Doc said yesterday. Let the best team win. No whining about foul calls, injuries, bad calls. Whoever wins tommorrow is the better team regardless.
everyone, what would everyone be saying if Gasol or Kobe or Garnett or Pierce. Would anyone of those Laker and Celtic fans be saying that the best team will win?
Pacer Fan,
Larry Bird called, he’d like you to change your moniker – says you’re embarrassing the Pacers.
Ok, I changed it. lol since Reggie plays for TNT now I am a TNT fan. lol
Well. well.well—all the Laker posters back in the fold. Where in the hell were you guys after games 4 and 5? Done in typical Laker fan style !!!! A few indisputable facts here to decide who has been the best team thus far throughout the playoffs. Let’s see the Lakers have gone through OKC—an up and coming team that is still at least 2 years away from being real contenders. A Utah team without 2 of their bigs and hasn’t won a road playoff game in God knows how long—And a Phoenix team that couldn’t defend against the local old ladies bingo club.——– On the other hand the C’s have defeated the hottest team entering the playoffs—Miami.——–Knocked out the team with the best record and league MVP( Disputable but still league MVP) —- Then knocked out the team with the 2nd best record and won the last 2 series without the home court advantage. Hmmmmm——Which resume looks better? Class!!!! Class!!!! ——Don’t put game 7 in the bank for the Lakers just yet. This team has shown their grit and determination already and can not be counted out. Regardless of what happens tomorrow night , the C’s are champs in my book. In the meantime, if the Lakers do prevail then you can gloat over your rinki-dink , fluff and fold journey to the nba finals!!!!
Stephen
I’m glad your getting your excuses already lined up!
Lets not forget you team plays in the (L)EAST. Lakers have been playing the Best Conference and winning championships just fine for quite some time.
These are not excuses, I just stated facts. What happened to Dallas and Denver, the 2 teams most likely to challenge the Lakers. Dallas couldn’t even get out of the first round, same fate for Denver. The bottom 4 that qualified for the West may have been stronger—–but the top 4—-not a chance!!!!!——Engage me in a rational discussion or give it up!!!!
Hello Lakers fans! There’s more and more of you in here with every passing hour.
@miss moxie—–That’s par for the course–Laker fans never appear on here after a Laker loss. They jump on the bandwagon after they win. What I do to shut them up is to ask questions to test their overall basketball knowledge. Believe me—–It’s severely limited.
and your assesment about phoenix screams basketball knowledge, right?
sorry stephen, but if you think that our way to the finals was a pushover, i feel sorry for you.
i have lots of respect for this celtics team and what they´ve accomplished, but please dont think that beating orlando (without a low-post scoring option) is so much harder than outplaying phoenix (who was even hotter in the second half of the season).
there is a reason why we have a game 7. both teams are the best the nba has to offer, and this game will be epic. we had to get through our playoffs without a healthy center and now you will get the chance to prove that you can be succesfull without perkins down low.
if boston wins this game, nobody will make any excuses because there cant be any excuses at this point. but if the lakeshow comes out on top, please have the guts to not blame it on the fact that perkins was available. your title in 08´was real (nobody can take that away), and so was our title last year. this is a new chapter, so let the past be the past and enjoy a career-defining game for pierce, allen, garnett, kobe, pau and artest
Your way to the finals was absolutley a pushover, that fact doesn’t change, however I will not be using Perkins as an excuse. Injuries are part of the game.