Lost in all the madness of yesterday's double OT loss was the fact that Kendrick Perkins had a fantastic game, and may have been the reason the Celtics even had a chance.
It wasn't just the 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. It was when he made the baskets. It seemed like every time the Bulls were making a run, Perk would hit one of those little jump hooks that he's developed. Whenever the Celtics missed a big shot, Perk was there with one of his 4 offensive rebounds to keep the possession alive.
It's pretty clear Perk is option #5 in this Celtics offense right now. But yesterday, the Celtics would have done themselves a favor to make him option #1 a few more trips down the floor. Joakim Noah isn't big enough to keep Perk from backing him down. When Perk has it going and the rest of the team doesn't, they need to go to him. He's not the type of player to carry a team, so when he's in a groove, you have to take advantage of it.
Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo are getting a bulk of the attention... and deservedly so. But Perk deserves a little recognition for a very good performance that went wasted yesterday.
One side note:
There's a backlash going on right now in the blogosphere where any mention of poor officiating draws the ire of other bloggers. So I'm apparently not allowed to say something like "it looks like sometimes refs are looking for a reason to blow the whistle on Kendrick Perkins"... or anything at all about poor officiating. Even though sometimes I can't understand why the whistles are so quick on Perk in a game where they're letting the other 9 guys play.
But I'm not allowed to mention that. Because why mention a problem when one exists?
Herald: Celts find double trouble | Reviews in for Brad Miller | Un-Celtics like lack of focus, execution causes trouble | Aching Rondo puts on a show | Young Bulls learning on the job | Globe: Double trouble | Second city return wasn't first choice | Opting for cheers instead of chores | Some words flying too | Gordon's efforts in line with mates | Camerato: Celtics had nowhere to run | Chicago Sun Times: Gordon questionable for game 5 | Rockets go up 3-1 | Magic tie series | Cavs sweep