Kendrick Perkins isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind. The former Boston Celtics center has moved from the court to the studio as an NBA analyst, and he always seems to have one wild take after another.
Recently, Perkins had a beef with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. Perkins blasted the second-year coach after the Celtics lost for the first time at home in a 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Perkins seemed to pin the blame on Mazzulla, but he went a little too far while ripping the coach.
Kendrick Perkins Said There Are 2 Joe Mazzullas
Although the Celtics dropped the two-point decision to the defending champions on Friday, January 19, in Boston, they still have the best record in the NBA and are the favorite to win the championship.
Boston’s stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown struggled in that loss, shooting a combined 2-for-17 from 3-point land. Despite the shooting woes, the Celtics lost by two points to arguably the best team in the Western Conference.
After it was over, Perkins, during an appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown,” chose to rip Mazzulla, going a bit too far in the process.
“They have two Joe Mazzullas,” Perkins said. “They have the philosophy of we’re going to get up more 3s than you. When they hit them, he looks great.
“Then you have the other Joe Mazzulla, who just stands over there, and you wonder. If you take his brain out and you put it in a bird, the bird is going to start flying backward. You got that Joe Mazzulla.
“You know why I say that? It’s because he doesn’t get his guys easy looks. Time and time again, we kept saying, attack the paint. You have so many guys that are great at cutting. They cannot continue to play AAU style basketball all the time.”
Coming from Perkins, this can be taken with a grain of salt. Perkins has never been considered one of the brightest basketball minds, so the bird-brain comment seems quite harsh coming from him.
Perkins Isn’t the Only One to Criticize Mazzulla
Mazzulla took plenty of heat in his first year as a professional head coach. Still, his Celtics went to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, Boston boasts an NBA-best mark of 33-10 heading into a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, but Mazzulla still has his share of detractors.
Former NBA player Richard Jefferson chose to criticize the star players rather than the coach. He did so in a much more professional manner than Perkins.
“At some point in time you have to look at it,” Jefferson said on “NBA Countdown.” “You’re 2-for-17 from 3. You’re Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“These dudes are 6-foot-9, 6-foot-8, 40-inch verts, all of the length, all of the size. You know how many free-throw attempts they had? Five. You have five free-throw attempts, and you were 2-for-17 from 3.
“I’m sorry. At some point in time — you saw it with one minute to go. (Tatum) drives by Aaron Gordon, who is a physical specimen. You drive by him and get a dunk. Don’t tell me you couldn’t have done that three, four more times, gotten two more buckets, and two more free throws. Maybe a collapse and a wide-open shot for your teammate.
“Two-for-17 from 3?” You have to have a better feel for the game.”
Mazzulla is in a tough spot. He’s got the most talented team in the league, so his every move will be scrutinized, especially during a loss. He certainly can be criticized for letting the Celtics continue to jack up long-range shots instead of taking it to the hoop, but Perkins probably went a little overboard when ripping Mazzulla.
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Kendrick Perkins’ Blasting of Joe Mazzulla Went Too Far