"I tried to foul him by hitting his arms, but he stuck his neck down," Perkins said. "It was not like I wanted to hit him that hard. I never try to hurt anybody. I wanted to give him a hard foul and I closed my eyes, so I don't know how I hit him. He pushed me in the back. I'll face the consequences but I wasn't trying to hurt anyone."
Perk says he wasn't trying to hurt Maxiell and I believe him. Flagrant 2 foults are not automatic suspensions, and it's not like Maxiell suffered a punctured lung. He bounced off the floor immediately. With that said, I fully expect Perk to miss tomorrow's game against the T-Wolves. His reputation will secure the suspension.
The Celtics will likely be without their starting and backup (Scalabrine) centers. It will be fun watching KG square off against Jefferson. I expect Big Baby and/or Leon to bang with Craig Smith. For what it's worth, the Lakers throttled the Wolves last night.
Considering the Celtics had won their last 7 by nearly 20 ppg, this game was fun. Although, I did think Doc went with Eddie (instead of Pierce) for too long in the 4th. The C's have won their last 5 over the Pistons, taking some of the joy out of this rivalry. Don't worry Detroit, you'll be back in a few years.
Herald - C's Win 10th Straight | Ray Not Upset with Snub | Globe - Celtics Score TKO | Allen, Rondo Make Do | Detroit Free Press - Pistons Down and Out |
After the jump, NBA dancers from around the league...