The Boston Celtics came swinging right out of the gate, defeating the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series by 20 points. During the game, former Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine’s comments while calling the game were called out by a fan on X while taking a subtle jab at another former Celtics player, Kendrick Perkins. The ESPN analyst tried his best to save face, only to get brutally trolled once more.
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Brian Scalabrine, while calling the game, seemed to suggest that the Miami Heat might’ve been trying to injure Jayson Tatum. A wild and scathing accusation that Scalabrine tried to play off on national television received a lot of backlash on social media. And one fan even went so far as to drag Kendrick Perkins and his skillset as an analyst into the whole ordeal.
“This is the dumbest basketball comment uttered by anyone not named @KendrickPerkins today – congrats @Scalabrine!”
This tweet managed to grab the attention of the former NBA champion as he tried to make a comeback with a witty response, only to get roasted even further. Perkins tweeted, “I’ll tell what’s not dumb. Yall are getting swept. I know that damn much.”
The fan, who could’ve gone on an outrageous rant, chose to handle the situation with grace, underlined with hints of violence in his words, attacking Perkins’ career choice after retiring from the league.
“And when we win one, you’ll be back to “dem goons from Dade County” and talking about Bam “Outta da bayou” Nobody takes you seriously and it’s a shame you occupy a job at ESPN that hundreds if not thousands could do significantly better.”
A hilarious jab that turned fans and probably a few former NBA players gasping for air, the fan on X (formerly Twitter) did not hesitate to put Perkins’ career into question, that too on national television.
NBA players often resort to being analysts or joining the crews calling games once they hang their sneakers. Given their years of experience playing professional basketball at a high level, these former NBA players possess not just knowledge but practical experience, having played the game themselves.
But the fan’s comments regarding Kendrick Perkins’ skills as an NBA analyst, regardless of whether he was right or wrong, did end up creating quite a buzz on social media.
Kendrick Perkins already changed his stance
Only a month ago, Kendrick Perkins was riding the Miami Heat bandwagon, high on Jimmy Butler and the rest of the squad. But that quickly changed once Butler was sidelined with an injury.
The Miami Heat just lost Game 1 by a 20-point margin, something fans could feel would’ve been different had Jimmy Butler been available in the starting lineup. Alas, for Heat fans, things might not be looking too hopeful right now, especially regarding Jimmy Butler’s return.
Butler, who injured his MCL in the first play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers, has been the Heat’s best player for almost 4 years now. Ever since he willed the Heat to the NBA Finals in the Covid Bubble, the entire Heat roster seems to be affected by his presence. Even last year, the Heat pulled off a famous series win against the Celtics in the Western Conference Finals in a grueling 7 game series. While there seems to be no official news on his return, an injured MCL may be bad news for the Heat loyals, as they might have to see this series out without Playoff Jimmy.
So, is Kendrick Perkins still rooting for the Heat? Clearly not, given the brief interaction he had with this fan, stating that the Boston Celtics will go on to sweep the Miami Heat. But we’ll find out in detail about Perk’s two cents on the next episode of ESPN’s NBA Today.
