"A guy that hasn't played in almost a year, you are asking him to come back at the highest level" - Kendrick Perkins believes Brooklyn Nets will be sent home early even if Ben Simmons returns
Former NBA player-turned-analyst Kendrick Perkins has highlighted that even Ben Simmons returning won't be enough for the Brooklyn Nets to have a legitimate chaof winning win against the Boston Celtics. Down 0-2 in the first-round series, the Nets seem to have no answer to the C's, who have been a far better two-way team in this contest so far.
Simmons' defensive prowess could elevate Brooklyn's chances, according to many. However, the former Philadelphia 76ers star hasn't played since June 2021, when they suffered a Game 7 loss against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs conference semis.
He has been dealing with a back injury since his move to the Nets earlier this year, leading to his absence from the lineup.
Udoka said Celtics will “start to talk about” Ben Simmons if it becomes more of a possibility he’ll play in this series. Udoka pointed out he and the team are very familiar with Simmons.
“I don’t think it’s a problem for our guys. We have a group that’s seen him quite a bit.”
Several reports indicate that Ben Simmons could be back in Game 3 or 4 for the Brooklyn Nets. However, Kendrick Perkins doesn't believe that his return to the lineup will do any wonders for Brooklyn. Here's what he said regarding this on ESPN SportsCenter:
"I mean what impact is he (Ben Simmons) gonna have? That's the thing that is mind-boggling to me. Look, a guy that hasn't played in almost a year, you're asking him to come back at the highest level of basketball, playing against two guys, two young superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and you expect him to keep up with the pace."
Perkins continued:
"I know Ben Simmons' defensive prowess and he does great defensive things. But again, you have to play the game. You don't know what type of condition he's going to be in, and I'll tell you one thing, if they (Nets) depending on Ben Simmons to go out there and make some type of defensive impact on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, they're going to be sent home really really early!"
Ben Simmons-less Brooklyn Nets blow 17-point lead in Game 2 against Celtics
The Brooklyn Nets are in deep trouble. Their season is likely to come to an end soon. The Nets blew a 17-point lead against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their first-round series to lose 107-114. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving misfired big-time, and it doesn't seem like they have answers to the C's defensive prowess.
Durant and Irving were held to only one-of-17 shooting in the second half of the match. The former registered 0 field goals on ten attempts while committing four turnovers as the Celtics trapped him defensively throughout the game.
At this point, it doesn't seem like Brooklyn can do much to drastically overturn the eventual result of this series as Boston look head and shoulders above them across the first two matches of this contest.
The 17-time NBA champions had seven scorers in double-digits in Game 2, which is a great testament to the fact that they are a more complete squad compared to the Brooklyn Nets.