NBA TODAY | Kendrick Perkins: Porziņģis is poised to NBA Finals, Celtics will win title this year

NBA TODAY | Kendrick Perkins: Porziņģis is poised to NBA Finals, Celtics will win title this year

could be up there one [Applause] day it’s that extra motivation the been so close these last two years but it will end in disappointment they’ll fall short of their goal you know try to win a championship Tatum turns the corner puts it up and kiss off to the crow it’s over are heading back to the NBA finals the drive for Banner number 18 will continue will Larry be heading to Boston because for 16 years in counting Boston has been waiting for that record Banner number 18 this year’s team has a chance to do it in historic fashion so let’s just take a little trip back half stole the ball the 1965 Championship Squad won the most games of any Boston team in the Bill Russell ERA this one came in the middle of winning 11 rings in 13 years and then the 86 Celtics they won 67 games that are known as one of the best teams in NBA history bird male parish and Bill Walton coming off the bench they ran through the east playoffs with just one loss on the way to the finals and next perk hello next the 2008 Celtics led by the big three and yours truly right here 66 W 66 games behind the League’s best defense and of course took down Co and the Lakers in the final body bat and now the 2024 Celtics they won 64 games the fourth most in franchise history and the most since that 2008 Squad they enter the finals with just two losses in the postseason and now await the winner of Dallas and Minnesota so the Celtics they boast a 17 and5 alltime series record in the finals you can see where that Stacks up in terms of finals history and the number of teams to play in that many finals so CH this current Celtic Squad all around great right but is there someone under the radar who could be a Difference Maker oh there totally is we all know the Jays Jason Tatum jayen Brown we have to add Drew holiday based off of this Elite defensive performance last series to the list but we need to talk about this guy right here Derek white because he makes Championship level plays let’s take it to the court and I’ll show you exactly why the Celtics have the best defense remaining in the postseason so far it’s because he’s able to guard two players star players at once Tyrese halberton is his match matchup but instead he’s still able to go and contest a shot at The Rim that is Elite defensive performance and also Elite defensive effort it never gets old y’all because watch this this is a free throw it should be a bunny it should be a guarantee they’re playing Hot Potato but this ball should be in your reach instead he always pursues the basketball these are small plays that come up big that change the tides in which you’re seeing they’re trying to make a comeback but we’re going to talk about comeback this guy knocked down the biggest shot he has ice in his veins his ability to not only play play defense but also stay cool calm collected talk his is as he knocks it down because he sealed the deal Derek white was a huge part of the Celtics being undefeated in clutch time this playoffs and as you can see in game four he literally did a little bit of everything you’ve got 16 points four rebounds four assists but if you look at this he’s the first player with five Steals and three blocks in a conference final since who Scotty Pippen in 2000 Malika that is not bad company not bad company to be in it all it’s almost like you know what I’m sharing to Des with you it’s like MJ and Pippen over here I love it per here’s the thing the Celtics they’ve been starting they’ve been doing this impressive run without Chris steps porzingis who had that calf strain in the first round they’re nine and one in this postseason without him there is of course optimism as W reported that he could be and will be back for the NBA Finals but do they need to be whole in order to win it all well I better not start the NBA Finals without it them and hell yeah they need to be whole when you talk about Chris St Pres thing is I I get it Derek white has been fantastic that was a hell of a breakdown on him because he does the little things that also don’t show up in the stat sheet but when it comes down to Christa porzingis he’s the most important player for us with the Celtics winning it all when you look at the two teams that he could possibly match up against the Mavericks and Minnesota both of those teams have what bigs athletic bigs at that so when I think about Christa porzingis yes we know he could stretch the the floor yes we know he could post up on the mismatches but on the other side of things they need that anchor that defensive anchor to contest and block shots and rebound at the basket in order for them to hang B to number 18 I completely agree because even though you’re able to beat the Pacers the way you were defensively having Jason Tatum at times guard the five having a small lineup it doesn’t matter who you’re going up against the wild thing is when you look at the two scenarios for the Boston Celtics I thought like the harder matchup would be the Minnesota Timberwolves right because they’ve got a they’ve got cat they’ve got Rudy they all put pressure on the rim but it’s crazy that you’re seeing except last game the Dallas Big show up in a big way so now you have to deal with not necessarily an advantage in the way that you thought going into a series potentially so you need everybody and your mama to show up because they understand that the expectation is championship and I said it at the beginning of the year this is the only thing we beefed on perk all year long how important Chris St porzingis is and I’ve said he’s so important that that will be the championship piece if he’s not able to play I still think there’s hope but he is the one that can really bring it home I know and and one of the things I was harping on was was he going to be able to be available and be healthy throughout this this thing and he hasn’t hope that he comes back some somewhere close to 100% I know that’s pushing it but at the end of the day look it’s going to come down when you get to the NBA finals yeah it comes down to your Superstars right and if we’re looking at the Duos whether it’s you know Jason Tatum matching up against Luca and Kyrie or car Anthony towns and Anthony Edwards damn it they have to shine like new money they average 30 they average 30 a piece in the Eastern Conference fin over 30 a piece in the Eastern Conference Finals they’re going to have to take it up another level when you talk about being cemented in royalty I want you to go look at what Paul Pierce did during his run right comparing him to Jason Tatum because we know he’s the face face of the franchise Paul Pierce went through Prime Joe Johnson if you don’t know who Joe Johnson is go Google him okay then he went toe-to-toe with a LeBron James in the seven game series took down the Pistons with Rip Hamilton chy and taan Prince and then got to the finals and went head tohe with Kobe Bryan and won finals MVP Victorious so it sounds like it sounds like that the path that you’re saying then is because that was the path uh there there’s no way that the depleted path that this Celtics team took can make it so that they overtake uh your team and oh oh no ma’am and we’re not even about to we’re we’re still we’re still we’re still a week away though from the NBA Finals we got plenty of time for all of that we only have a day to get ready for game five between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves coming up here on NBA today a cat took over in game four did the Wolves unlock the key to beating the Mavericks and making history and a breakout scoring night from Caitlyn Clark but it 30 Pie 30 pie what though game is adapting it was habanero think it was habanero all drumstick It wings are better one more name though guys just came off of the coaching list W joins us at the latest on the Lakers search we’ll be right [Music] back e for for foreign speech First Blood you have defeated an enemy your team has destroyed a tower you have defeated an enemy [Music] take up exactly out of nowhere an ally has been defeated an ally has been defeated out ofwhere shut down an ally has defeated your tower has destroyed an enemy has been defeated exeed e e an ally has been defeated enemy ultimate e an enemy has been defeated shut down failure sh failure an enemy has been defeated you have defeated an enemy

NBA TODAY | Kendrick Perkins: Porziņģis is poised to NBA Finals, Celtics will win title this year