Steve Bulpett makes a great point:
But two games into the Eastern Conference semifinal series between Orlando and the Celtics, Kendrick Perkins has played Dwight Howard to a fair standstill.
Now, no one is saying Danny Ainge would hang up the phone if the Magic called and offered Howard straight up for Perk, but it becomes quickly clear to anyone who watches the Celts a while that Perkins is far more than a product of playing next to three definite Hall of Fame mates and another who is filling out his Springfield application with each playoff triple-double.
Perkins is becoming one of the more hated Celtics players by fans around the league. The consistent knock on him has been that he's riding the coat-tails of the Big Three. Hogwash.
He knows his role is to be a defensive anchor and he plays that role about as well as anyone, despite being left off the all defensive teams. He's also developed a solid offensive game where he can back down smaller opponents and hit shots over the top of larger ones.
I'm preaching to the choir here, but Perkins is an excellent basketball player in his own right.