Out of the Blue and Back in Green

Kendrick Perkins made his season debut last night, returning to the lineup weeks before Celtics fans thought he would.

Ever since shredding his knee against the Lakers in Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Kendrick Perkins, admit it or not Celtics fans, became an afterthought. While many of us argue that the result of the series would have been much different had Perk been able to suit up in the deciding Game 7, we could all agree that once Perkins was injured on June 15, we all knew it was going to be a long, long time until we saw him back in a Celtics uniform.

However, some 223 days after suffering a torn MCL and PCL in his right knee, Perkins shocked Celtics Nation Tuesday night by returning to the court during the Celtics 112-95 drubbing of the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers. While Paul Pierce led the effort with 24 points in just 24 minutes and the Celtics improved their overall record to 34-10 (22-3 at home), the story of the game centered upon the unforeseen return of one of the Celtics most important players. Although Perkins had been practicing with the team for over a week, the rumors were that he was still a ways away from getting back on the court. We were told to circle Feb. 4th against the Mavericks as a likely return date for the big man. 

So much for the rumors.

Making his season debut at 8:02 of the first quarter, the 27th overall pick in the 2003 Draft out of Clifton J. Ozen High School was greeted with a standing ovation by the TD Garden's sell-out crowd of 18,624. Playing within the constraints of limited minutes, Perk finished with seven points on 3-5 shooting, six rebounds (three offensive), and three assists in 17 minutes. 

"It felt good," Perkins said after the game. "I didn't get any sleep last night, I was so excited. My necks hurts from not sleeping." 

Perkins' return could not have come at a better time for the Celtics. With Jermaine O' Neal rehabbing a recurrent knee injury and Shaq missing his second straight game with a sore right hip, the Celtics are thin in the front court, especially at the center position. And as impressive as Semih Erden has been thus far, Celtics fans would no doubt feel much more comfortable with the Turkish Tower coming off the bench instead of frequenting the starting lineup. 

Numbers aside, the best part about Perk's return is the fact that he re-invigorates a sputtering team that, although boasting the NBA's second best record, has looked sluggish in back-to-back games such as last Saturday's embarrassing 85-83 loss to the cellar-dwelling Wizards. He adds a swagger that can't be measured by a stat sheet. He's an intimidating presence. He anchors the defense. And, most of all, his return makes the Boston Celtics a favorite to raise Banner 18 in the Spring once again. 

"I thought he was teriffic," coach Doc Rivers said of Perkins debut. "I thought as the game went on his timing got better. There's people in the crowd that work hard every day, blue collar, and Perk identifies with those people. If you're a guy that works 9 to 5, you've got to love Perk because that's who he is." 

Welcome back, Perk. Now if we could only put those rumors of Rasheed Wallace's return to bed...