"No one in NBA is scared" - Kendrick Perkins points out intimidating factor that could impede Celtics' bid to retain title
The Boston Celtics are in the offseason as the defending champions after a historic regular season and a dominant postseason run. Aiming for back-to-back titles, Kendrick Perkins argued on ESPN's "NBA Today" that their pursuit of another championship could be hindered, as opposing teams are not that intimidated by their presence.
During the offseason, Boston retained most of their roster, with the exceptions of Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailuk. They still have their dominant starting five and an excellent bench unit to go for another deep playoff run and the chance to secure another title.
"No one in the NBA right now is scared of the Boston Celtics," Perkins said. "This is why the New York Knicks went out and they got Mikal Bridges and upgraded their roster. This is why the Philadelphia 76ers went out and got Paul George and upgraded their roster."
Perkins also argued that with the NBA landscape constantly shifting as teams work to strengthen their rosters, defending the title for a second consecutive season has proven difficult since the Warriors did it in 2018. He pointed out that improved rosters across the league give teams ample firepower to challenge Boston.
"A lot of people are looking into the path that the Celtics went through to win an NBA Championship and say that they actually had an easy path," Perkins added, " for as the competition and the teams that they played were not healthy. ... There's a reason where on this streak right now with teams haven't repeated, ... teams are getting better every offseason."
Last season, Boston finished with the best record in the league (64-18) with the number-one-ranked offense and second-ranked defense. They only lost four games at home in the regular season and only three losses in their entire postseason stint.
Their defensive switchability made them a headache to score against, which can be said as well with their offensive prowess from multiple shooters and shot-creators per position.
Jayson Tatum talked about coach Joe Mazzulla being excited over him not winning Finals MVP and having two DNPs in the Olympics
During the Boston Celtics Media Day, Jayson Tatum shared coach Joe Mazzulla being excited over the fact that he wasn't Finals MVP and being sat out for two Olympic games. His comments were also shared by The Athletic's Jared Weiss.
"I talked to Joe a lot," Tatum said. "Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn't win Finals MVP and I didn't play in two of the games at the Olympics. That was odd. But if you Joe, it makes sense."
Despite coming off an NBA Championship, some fans and analysts are expecting a huge jump in Tatum's production this season with how his offseason went down. Retaining that level of edge to defend the title can bode well for the team's performance in the upcoming season.
Last season, Tatum averaged 26.9 points (47.1% shooting, including 37.6% from three-point range), 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.