Celts

There appears to be no sympathy between former Celtics teammates Brian Scalabrine and Kendrick Perkins.

Perkins, who was an outspoken critic of the Celtics for several years during his time as an on-air host at ESPN, could also be considered persona non grata in Boston as of late.

At least that's what Scalabrine said on his SiriusXM radio show when asked why Perkins was not a part of the Celtics who won the previous NBA title in 2008 and took part within the parade through Boston on Friday to have a good time their team's 18th title.

While the 2023-24 Celtics headlined Friday's festivities, former 2007-08 champions Paul Pierce, Eddie House, Scalabrine and Leon Powe were also featured on an amphibious vehicle.

“No, no, no, no, no, no,” Scalabrine said when asked if Perkins was invited to the Celtics' recent championship celebrations. “Big scarlet letter. … Kendrick Perkins is not exactly a welcoming place with open arms.”

It didn’t take long for Perkins to react. The former Celtics center asked Scalabrine to during an appearance on “Felger & Mazz” on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Monday afternoon.

“Right now, I feel like Scal is a coward,” Perkins said. “Was I the only member of 2008 missing from the amphibious vehicle? No, I wasn't. (Eddie) House, my friend, was there. Leon Powe, a good friend of mine, was there too.”

“Scal was there and Paul (Pierce) was there. There were 11 other guys missing. And to be honest, if I had gotten an invitation, which I didn't – I didn't know we were supposed to get one – but still, nine times out of 10 I would have turned it down. … This is not our moment. This is the moment of 2024. Let these guys have their moment.”

Perkins has modified his mind concerning the Celtics periodically over the past few months, especially each time Boston encountered one among the few obstacles it faced in the course of the 2023-24 season.

His harsh comment about Joe Mazzulla's coaching IQ in January prompted the Celtics coach to take a subtle jab at Perkins during a press conference – calling himself a “bird brain.”

Given Perkins' history of criticizing the Celtics, Scalabrine's comments about Boston's lack of an “open arms policy” toward Perkins can have some merit. However, Perkins stressed Monday that his recent efforts to succeed in Scalabrine have been fruitless.

“Right now I feel like you're avoiding me,” Perkins said of Scalabrine. “I have a problem with that. Can't we have a conversation between grown men?”

Celts

Things proceed to go downhill for Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

The 25-year-old guard was the goal of heavy criticism for his performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The talented scorer was sent off for a foul within the fourth quarter as Dallas attempted to orchestrate a comeback within the decisive period against the Celtics.

Not only did Doncic put his team in a brutal situation with fouls (including 4 fouls within the fourth period), he also questioned the referee's performance in his post-game press conference as a substitute of taking responsibility for his own undisciplined play.

“I mean, I don't know. We couldn't play physically, so, I don't know. I don't want to say anything, but [a] sixth foul in the NBA Finals when I'm basically like that?” Doncic told reporters, gesturing as if he had been standing still. “Come on, man, this is better than that.”

Doncic's play and his postgame comments prompted ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst to call his performance “unacceptable,” adding, “The fact that he came out after the game and blamed the referees tells me he's nowhere near that point.”

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić shall be suspended from Game 3 of the #NBAFinals with just over 4 minutes remaining.

Replays and the review decision as seen and heard within the ESPN broadcast on ABC. pic.twitter.com/ot1R3YOOSs

— Awful Announcement (@awfulannouncing) June 13, 2024

Windhorst was removed from the one ESPN media star to sharply criticize Doncic and his comments following Boston's 106-99 win, which gave the Celtics a commanding 3-0 lead within the series.

Considering how much criticism former Boston star Kendrick Perkins has faced with the Celtics over the past few seasons, you realize Doncic has put himself in a difficult position if Perkins is the one calling him out.

“Let's put the (expletive) nonsense (expletive) aside. … We look at the Dallas side of things: Kyrie Irving showed up and did what he was supposed to do.” Perkins said on Wednesday night on the podcast “Road Trippin'.” “There’s no getting around it: Luka (swear word) is out of the game.

“He drained his team emotionally, even (Mavs head coach Jason Kidd). It started on offense, whining every damn turnover, falling to the floor, not getting back in transition, not trying for a second attempt. He didn't punch out once.”

Similar to Windhorst, Perkins emphasized that Doncic focused on the wrong things during Wednesday's game – even before he took out most of his frustration on the referees.

“It was a timeout, he was yelling at his teammate, and his teammate wasn't involved in the play at all,” Perkins said. “Who's mad? The cop committed a foul. That wasn't a foul. Why did you even put yourself in that position? He quit.”

“That was by far the worst performance I've seen from Luka in the playoffs. He lacked energy, leadership, and emotions. He wet the bed in the crib.”

On Thursday: Stephen A. Smith of ESPN took part in the criticism of Doncic on “First Take”, Smith challenged the Celtics to finish the sweep on Friday night in Dallas.

“It was the level of selfishness and the lack of responsibility,” Smith said of Doncic's performance on Wednesday. You're the superstar of the team. You're speculated to be the leader of the team. Let's put you all in perspective. We're sitting here and Kyrie Irving is seen because the reasonable one.

“The reasonable person who has to step up and help bring Luka Doncic back in because Luka Doncic is so petty and so petty. Let's not forget him yelling at his bench and his coaches, 'Damn it, question the decision.' We saw that. He's pointing the finger at everyone but himself, and he's taking himself out of the game.”