In a neck-to-neck battle at the TD Garden on the 20th of January, 2024, the Boston Celtics suffered their first home game loss of the NBA 2022-2023 season against the Denver Nuggets.
This intense 100-102 defeat, seems to have bordered one of the former Celtics big man, Kendrick Perkins more than anyone else. Perkins didn’t hold back as he passed on a hilarious comment on the Boston’s head coach Joe Mazzulla in the aftermath of the closely contested match.
Kendrick Perkins slams Celtics HC
Before today, the Boston Celtics had been on an impressive 27-game home win streak before facing off against the defending champions, The Denver Nuggets. As the Celtics, led by forward superstar, Jayson Tatum, battled the defending champions in a very tight contest for the win.
Unfortunately, Jayson’s shot missed the mark, and the Nuggets sneaked away with a 2 point victory. Kendrick Perkins, who is often known for his candid commentary, did not hold back in expressing his frustration in the ESPN NBA Countdown by particularly aiming at Boston’s head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Perkins, in his full-form post-game analysis, conveyed a hilarious roast on the Head Coach, suggesting that if Mazzulla’s brain were exchanged with that of a bird, the bird would start flying backward.
Perkins explained, ‘They have two Joe Mazzullas. They have the one that got 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 backwards. You got that Joe Mazzulla.”
Perkins continues to criticize Mazulla’s approach to the game, emphasizing his failure to get his players easy looks. He later focuses on the probable solution, suggesting the need for well-executed sets.
“You know why I say that?” Perkins asked, “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. You gotta have sets”.
Celtics lose first home game
The Boston Celtics faced their first home game loss of this season against last season’s NBA Champions, the Denver Nuggets, marking the very end to their very dear and impressive 20-game home win streak.
A strong Celtics team that was led by All-NBA players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown wasn’t enough to defend their home court against The Denver Nuggets that was led by the dynamic duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic as they emerged victorious with a final score of 102-100.
The Denver duo combined for an impressive 69 points on 67% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, the Celtics’ offense continued to struggle in the second half, and crunch time proved to be costly. Tatum finished with 22 points, and Brown added 13 points for the night.
The game featured 13 lead changes and 8 ties; however, the climax came in the final seconds when Jayson Tatum had a chance to tie the score and push the match to overtime, but his one-legged fadeaway jumper did not go in.
Later, Tatum, acknowledged his rush in the critical moment and also expressed the disappointment in himself. While on the other hand, the Nuggets’ defensive efforts, led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, played an important role in denying the Celtics a chance to force the match to overtime.
Despite this intensive close defeat, the Head Coach, Joe Mazzulla, remains to be optimistic, focusing on the the positive aspects of the team’s performance and concentrating on the learning opportunities from the loss. The Celtics are now 32-10 on the season and maintains their status as the league’s best team.
Can the Boston Celtics make the NBA Championship come true this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
