While everyone (rightfully so) focused on Kevin Garnett and how his surgically repaired knee would hold up against LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Celtics' season-opener, the most encouraging sight of the night was seeing Kendrick Perkins on the bench in crunch time.
I’ve said it over and over. Perkins is an ideal backup center for a team that has realistic aspirations of winning the NBA championship.
I know the Celtics won one a couple of years ago with Perk in the middle, but Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen each have two more years of wear and tear on their bodies — and the competition has significantly improved this time around.
Doc Rivers wasted no time establishing the fact that his most formidable lineup with the game on the line consists of Garnett, Pierce and new addition Rasheed Wallace up front when he put Perkins on the bench with 4:13 remaining and the Celtics holding a 83-79 lead.
The new look gives the C’s length and also ensures Boston isn’t playing 3-on-5 on the offensive end — as opponents tend to leave Rajon Rondo and Perkins wide open away from the basket.
Perkins still got his 25 minutes of work but grabbed just a single rebound and scored nine points — most of them without a defender anywhere in the same zip code.
Rivers will need Perkins, especially for his defense against big, strong big men such as Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal — whom he’s proven to be effective against. He’ll also need Perkins even more now with Glen Davis out for the next two months with a broken thumb.
But the best lineup is the one that has Perkins cheering — or glaring — from the bench.
Wallace is a matchup nightmare, as he showed on Tuesday night. How many 7-footers are able to step out and knock down shots with consistency from beyond the arc?
Not many.
He’s got a quick release, and with him and Garnett in the game together, they are difficult to defend due to their length and versatility.
LeBron wasn’t able to play free safety and roam with Wallace on the court. Instead, he was forced to know Wallace’s whereabouts at all times, which in turn opened up quality shots for Pierce down the stretch.
The offensive was far more efficient in the final four minutes, and the defense hardly suffered. Garnett and Wallace are two of the best communicators — especially on the defensive end — in the entire league.
Wallace finished with a dozen points in 24 minutes and made 3-of-6 from long distance. There were no outbursts, no technical fouls, and the talented veteran appeared motivated the entire time he was on the court.
That won’t always be the case this season, but as long as Garnett is healthy, Wallace’s issues will be manageable.
The 35-year-old, who once averaged more than 19 points and eight rebounds per game in his heyday, understood he was coming to Boston to fill a role.
It took just one game to establish it won’t be as a cheerleader with the game on the line.
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