FIRST TAKE | “Celtics going to win it all if Kristaps Porzingis back 100% healthy in finals” – Perk

FIRST TAKE | “Celtics going to win it all if Kristaps Porzingis back 100% healthy in finals” – Perk

theme is Dallas we switch the NBA though game one NBA Finals 4 days away Thursday the 6th on ABC it’s the Mavericks who have won five straight road playoff games one shy of setting a new franchise record against the Celtics who have won 13 of 17 NBA titles after winning game one of a finals Tim bontemps on what a second chance at a title means for Jason Tatum two years ago Jason Tatum in the Boston Celtics reached the NBA Finals only to lose to the Golden State Warriors in six games that’s why Tatum said Saturday he views this year’s return trip to the finals against the Dallas Mavericks as a second chance one he and the Celtics hope will end with Boston claiming its record setting 18th NBA title it’s a lot that you know myself and and and we can learn from that experience being in the finals um and you know this time this go around is uh a lot different obviously we’ve been there before we came up short um and and you know great opportunity uh to to make it to the finals again you know then you don’t always get a second chance so U really just looking at it as a second chance and um trying to simplify things as much as we can it’s just it’s another series that um we got to win now one significant difference between the Celtics two years ago and now is the presence of senator christas porzingis who missed the final 10 games of Boston’s run through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a calf strain however ever Celtics coach Joe moula said porzingis participated fully in Saturday’s practice as he continues to Trend toward a potential return to the court in game one of the NBA finals on Thursday his importance cannot be understated porzingis impact is as large as that 73 frame career highs and field goal percentage at the rim and overall he also defends well holding opponents to 44% shooting in the paint when he was oh Kendrick Perkins so in other Boston news you have Joe moua saying today that christop forenz did and I quote everything the team did in practice today keep in mind he’s not played in a game since April the 29th he’s been out with what is essentially like a stra a strained calf let’s just live in a world where porzingis does return what does that do for the Celtics oh it does everything and he’s the most important piece to the Celtics hanging Banner number 18 they need him like old people need soft shoes and I’m talking about a fresh pair of New Balance because of what he brings on both ends of the floor right you think about offensively he’s he’s a guy that could stretch the floor at 72 knock down the Trey Ball but he also was one of the best post up guys in the game this season when it comes to uh exploiting mismatches all defensively they need him to go against Derek lley and Daniel Gafford to Anchor that defense to be a rim protector to bring that size and length on the defensive side of things if the Celtics do not have Christa porzingis of available for the finals the Dallas Mavericks are going to win if christop porzingis is available and even if he’s not 100% the Celtics are going to win this series just by him being on the floor sir I happen to wear some shoes today that were very cushioned I’m not sure what you’re saying but I do take slight effect to that comment look uh one of my favorite moments I think from Timberwolves and Mavs the other night is Just well I mean basically whenever is theca trash talking Anybody Everybody all the time that isn’t exactly new but at one point he said something in the direction of uh Snoop Dog and it for a half a second looked like Snoop was actually like blushing the ability to talk all of the game and all of the trash why is that something that actually makes luuka even greater because he grew up in that just think about you know Luca’s been a professional since 14 years old and when you think about what he’s been through overseas it’s a hostile environment uh the game needs this right a guy that plays with this type of emotion we haven’t seen a guy that thrive off of adversity the way that Luca does he loves playing on the road he loves people going at them and it’s great for the game of basketball and it’s also great for the Dallas Mavericks that’s why they’ve been so successful throughout this postseason we’re talking about a team that has never started the series with home court advantage and now now they’re representing the NBA Finals they still don’t have homec court advantage and there still so many story lines you know it’s a little attention with Luca and Christ porzingis Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics get your popcorn out cuz this going to be a movie okay so that Kyrie stuff is that anything or is that just us oh that’s everything that’s everything that’s not just us that’s Kyrie that’s the Celtics fan look it’s it’s no love there whatsoever right both do not both parties do not like each other they can’t stand each other the Boston fans are going to be hostile and Kyrie Irving he might just be stomping on luy again we got to see I’m grab my orthopedic shoes and my polyester pants and I’m going to get ready for Thursday night to be honest if if you’re Boston you’re sitting up there and you’re saying to yourselves how do we stop these guys because I’m going remind the audience of this the Boston Celtics had trouble stopping Young fella uh nimart and Pascal cakam in the Pacer series now I get it they swept them but those two guys haded their way to the fact that Boston and Joe Missoula had to mix it up and go zone so I get you do have drew holiday you have Derek white two of the elite defenders in our game today but when you look at what Luca and Kyrie has done going against Luke darts going against Jay McDaniels going against Anthony Edwards those guys are battle tested and what they did in this series they son a statement that y’all better get y’all rest because we’re we’re coming y’all got to figure it out damn it if Christoper zingas if you going to be on the court you better be prepared to slide those puppies because I’m going to put you in every single pick and roll and test you out and the Celtics got to be ready to to defend at a high level I’m sure I’m not stepping out of pocket by saying being a bit presumptive with this statement big perk I’m quite sure one of your favorite scenes in all the years that you’ve watched movies was that scene in the movie Heat with Al paccino and Robert denero when they were at the Cal and alucino looked at him and said if I got to make a choice between you and some poor bastard whose wife you’re about to turn into a widow he said brother you are going down and Robert daero said there’s a flip side to that Corin anybody you say that love their movies you understand and love a cops and robbers kind of theme we love that scene there’s a flip side to that now let me tell you something Wendy let me tell you something perk we have seen and we have we have seen riveting playoff series and finals uh confrontations and all of this stuff I’d make a challenge to you I don’t know how much I’ve looked forward to an NBA final as much as I’m looking forward to this one in the last decade and I’m talking I know I look forward to KD and Lebron but we knew that Golden State with he had the Splash Brothers with him we knew they weren’t beating Cleveland wasn’t beating them but you still want to see LeBron Katy I get all of that but this finals right here nobody can definitively say who the hell is going to win this is really really a tossup it’s a pick them right and I’m thinking about Kyrie and Luca and I’m thinking about how they bust Minnesota’s living you know what and I’m think about Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum two brothers that just finished averaging 30 in the Conference Finals had the best record in basketball all season and I’m thinking about a first team all NBA and Jason Tatum who’s got a lot to prove because there’s one thing that we’re looking for from him and that’s the ability to close being in his fifth Conference Finals and his second NBA Finals appearance and we got a guy in Jaylen Brown who’s a $300 million man who by the way doesn’t even have a sneaker deal in my understanding okay he’s definitely should be marketable or whatever but for some reason it doesn’t seem to be there he didn’t get an all NBA team vote I voted for him he didn’t get selected rather I voted for him third Team all NBA but and you did too but the bottom line is he didn’t get the nod and I’m thinking about this brother big perk and Wendy and I’m thinking about Kyrie what y’all what we don’t know how did he treat how did he get along with these young guys when they were there were they got a chance to be now they swept him when he was in Brooklyn with KD I get that part but this the finals not the first round it’s the finals it’s a championship on the line and they’re Boston Celtics and they’ve never delivered the goods they never won a championship and now you got Luca and you got Kyrie I understand the Drew holidays the Derek whites the Al Horford for zingis you better get your ass back I get all of that but Tatum and brown to watch Luca and Kyrie they got to be saying y’all must have forgot who the hell we are we ain’t called Anthony towns and Rudy go B and now Anthony ‘s another animal but we ain’t we we him and we ain’t the rest of those guys who the hell y’all think y’all talking about oh it’s we’ll be ready that’s what I’m saying and and I’m looking at it from that and and then I’m like oh oh Lord this is going to be special cuz we G to find out greatness and those who want to be great we about to find out officially what that is all about these finals ladies and gentlemen brace yourself the NBA you did good you got Dallas versus Boston and you don’t have two stars you got two stars on each Squad oh this is going to be special I can’t wait for this one this is is what it’s all about we going to find out we going to find out Molly yep Molly get ready to pack for three weeks oh three weeks oh I’ve I’ve done that crime before it’s fun though it’s exciting three weeks okay because I’m tell you something Luca is having one of the we’re gonna this is gonna be a long one this is gonna be a long’re going seven Luca donic yeah I I I have to see I would just say this Luca is having one of the best runs we’ve ever seen individually in a in a play okay yeah the Celtics are arguably the most complete team since the Warriors back in 2018 when you look at everything they got going for them most complete Team all right Boston is shaky at home they’re basically a 500 home team in the playoffs the last few years the Mavericks are seven- two on the road in these playoffs they don’t care about being away from home they’ve won three straight series with with without home court advantage settle in I’m hoping everybody stays healthy I hope we see poor zingis everybody’s got a week off to rest settle in I’m here for all of us m Molly Molly we ain’t making we ain’t making our predictions yet yeah but I’ll say this if Dallas wins it’s in six if Boston wins it’s in seven okay okay fair enough game I don’t see I I I don’t see it going seven and Dallas winning a game s even though they could winning a game seven in Boston if they win it’ll be in six listen we got less Boston wins it’ll be in seven Thursday 8:30 Eastern it all goes down Boston’s favorite in that one by six and a half by the way obviously home court coming up guys e oh for e First Blood you have defeated an enemy you have an ally has been [Music] defeated you have been defeated an ally has been defeated [Music] your tower has been destroyed an enemy has been defeated scream double kill [Music] you have defeated an enemy an enemy has been defeated double kill you have been defeated ultimate double kill here we go smoke [Music] screen SM screen you have been defeated double kill let the Dan begin legendary legendary [Music] now smoke scream your team has destroyed a tower you have defeated an enemy legendary Bast legendary double kill a triple kill a legendary let the dance begin smoke screen you have defeated an enemy double kill

FIRST TAKE | “Celtics going to win it all if Kristaps Porzingis back 100% healthy in finals” – Perk tells Stephen A. Smith on NBA Finals: Mavericks vs Celtics