The first round of the 2026 NBA postseason wasn’t very kind to two recent champions and a future Hall of Famer.

The Denver Nuggets entered the Western Conference playoffs as the No. 3 seed and armed with arguably the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic. Denver lasted just six games and were eliminated by undermanned Minnesota for the second time in three years.

Since winning the NBA title in 2023, Jokic and the Nuggets are just 15-15 over the last three postseasons.

The Boston Celtics, boosted by the return of All-Star Jayson Tatum, entered the Eastern Conference playoffs with the fourth-best odds to win a championship. Boston took a 3-1 series lead against division rival Philadelphia, only to watch it evaporate and ended up being on the wrong side of history. The 76ers completed the dramatic playoff comeback, winning Game 7 in Boston.

When asked during his post-game press conference what was the turning point in the series, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla pointed to the return of Joel Embiid.

“What changed in the series was Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team,” Mazzulla said of the Sixers center, who came back in Game 4 after missing almost a month after undergoing emergency appendectomy.

Philly was the 14th team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit in the playoffs. Less than 24 hours after the Sixers’ win, the Detroit Pistons became the 15th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit. Thanks to the heroics of Cade Cunningham, top-seeded Detroit avoided losing to eighth-seeded Orlando with a convincing win at home in Game 7.

Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets weren’t considered championship contenders heading into the postseason, but they had a favorable matchup in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers, who was missing Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (rib).

But the Rockets found a way to turn an advantage into a disadvantage as the 2014 NBA MVP missed Game 1 with a knee injury he suffered in practice. Durant returned in Game 2 but suffered a sprained right ankle in the second half that ultimately forced him to miss the remainder of the series.

The Lakers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead. After a couple of hiccups in Game 4 and Game 5, L.A. closed out the series with a blowout win in Game 6.

Detroit rides MotorCade to reach conference semifinals

After Orlando took a 3-1 series lead, Cade Cunningham put his hard on and went to work.

The Pistons’ All-Star guard dropped 45 points (5-for-8 on 3-pointers) in Game 5 and followed it up with 32 points and 10 rebounds in the next game, forcing a Game 7.

In Game 7 in front of a fired up Detroit crowd that included Pistons legends like Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace, Cunningham calmly led the Pistons to a 116-94 win. His 32 points and 12 assists helped secure Detroit’s first playoff series victory in 18 years.

Cunningham became the second Piston to score 20-plus points and dish out 10-plus assists in a Game 7. The other Piston to pull it off was Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who was in the building to witness Cade’s brilliant performance under pressure.

“It’s an honor to be in the same sentence as a legend like IT,” Cunningham said. “I’m glad he was here. I’m glad he was able to watch … just being able to talk to him, pick his brain, and have his support. It’s amazing. I feel extremely lucky to have that.”

No joke: Jokic gets ‘punked’ in playoff loss to Timberwolves

When you’re a three-time NBA MVP, expectations are high and losing in the first round is not an acceptable result.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, were eliminated in six games by the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team missing their best player (Anthony Edwards), starting guard (Donte DiVincenzo), and one of its top reserves (Ayo Dosunmu).

The Timberwolves had just eight players available for Game 6, but still managed to pull out a victory.

Denver’s early exit prompted some pundits like ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, to call out Jokic for his poor postseason performance following another triple-double regular season in which he became the first player to lead the league in rebounds (12.9) and assists (10.7).

Perkins on ESPN’s “First Take” said the Joker got “punked” in the Minnesota series as Rudy Gobert made him look human. Jokic shot 44.6% from the field and 19.4% from 3-point range, both well below his season averages. Perkins added that Jokic’s recent play suggests he may be stuck with just one championship for his career.

“We were so ready to put this man above all-time greats because of certain numbers he was putting up in the regular season. He has one NBA championship. Matter of fact, I don’t think Jokic is going to win another NBA championship. He got exposed,” Perkins added. “So when we talk about top-five this and top-five that. We need to sit back and keep cool.”

Denver heads into the offseason with a lot of question marks, including the future of their all-world center. But according to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Nuggets plan to secure a long-term contract extension for Jokic, who is eligible for a $290 million max deal.

“The expectation on both sides is Nikola Jokic will be signing that when he’s eligible in July, and they’re gonna move forward,” Charania said on “Inside the NBA.”

He added: “But beyond that, there’s going to be real roster changes coming to Denver to identify how they can surround Nikola Jokic with the right pieces to get this team over the top.”

Houston, we have a KD problem

A fluke knee injury kept Kevin Durant out of Game 1 against the Lakers. He reportedly bumped knees with one of the team’s two-way players in practice as they both went for a loose ball. Durant returned in Game 2 but suffered a sprained right ankle in the second half that ultimately forced him to miss the remainder of the series.

The Rockets’ implosion started back in February. The infamous “KD files” — Durant’s alleged social media burner account slamming Rockets teammates — created a major, unresolved distraction.

During a stretch in which the Rockets lost seven of nine games entering the All-Star break, allegations surfaced that Durant criticized teammates — including sharp jabs at Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. — while using a burner account on X.

Durant is one of the best to ever pick up a basketball. Once he’s done with his career, he’ll be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. But his off-the-court drama isn’t helping clean up his image.

Durant never discussed the matter in any detail publicly, calling it “Twitter nonsense.” But it’s hard to imagine his most recent social media tiff didn’t impact the Rockets. Houston appeared disjointed, and the team actually played better when KD was in street clothes sitting on the bench.

Since his split with the Golden State Warriors, Durant has had some conspicuous stops in Brooklyn and Phoenix. Houston gave up a ton of assets to bring him in, but now they may be regretting the move.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. He hosts a sports podcast on YouTube @onemanfastbreak1.

LeBron James (right) kneels on the sideline after suffering from leg cramps in the fourth quarter. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Miami Heat fought through a ton of adversity Tuesday night, including leg cramps that forced LeBron James to watch the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, to take Game 4, 104-98.

The Heat now hold a commanding 3-1 edge in the NBA Finals and can clinch the championship in Game 5. Here are some observations from Game 4:

Where is James Harden?

For those who didn’t catch the postgame show on NBA TV, Charles Barkley made a really funny quip regarding Harden’s head-scratching disappearance in The Finals. Host Matt Winer asked Barkley why he was looking under the table to which Barkley replied, “I’m looking for James Harden.” With the exception of Game 2 in Oklahoma City, Harden has been MIA in this series — especially in Miami. In games 1, 3, and 4 Harden is 6-for-26 from the field and had back-to-back 2-for-10 games on the road. If the Thunder are going to extend this series, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year must find his shooting touch and regain his confidence.

LeBron emptying his gas tank

Leg cramps prevented the three-time NBA MVP from finishing Game 4, but his 3-point shot from the top of the circle (despite his leg locking up) with under two minutes to play gave the Heat the lead for good and was the biggest shot of the game. Moments later, Dwyane Wade made it a five-point game. You can say all you want about LeBron not performing well in the crunch time, but his effort and energy throughout the series has been nothing short of superb. He is scoring on drives, setting up teammates with the pass, rebounding, and defending Kevin Durant. How many players are able to do that? James has been the undisputed MVP of the 2012 NBA Finals and — if he wins that elusive ring — he deserves all the credit in the world because he is leaving everything he’s got on the floor.

Wild, wild Westbrook
Russell Westbrook had a superb game to say the least. He scored 43 points on 20-of-32 field goal attempts, and most of them were on the spectacular variety. Westbrook was absolutely sensational despite some miscues at the end, the biggest one was not knowing time and situation when he fouled Mario Chalmers with five seconds left on the shot clock. Thunder coach Scott Brooks said the game would not be close if not for his heroics. Those who criticize Westbrook should take a closer look at Tuesday game and see what a special talent Westbrook is.

Thunder bigs are playing small

Oklahoma City’s starting center Kendrick Perkins and power forward Serge Ibaka have been relatively useless in this series. Perkins can’t seem to find hoop and Ibaka looks like someone who is a bit overwhelmed by the mounting pressure of The Finals. Both Perkins and Ibaka are struggling offensively and have left the Heat off the hook by not punishing Miami’s “small ball.” Brooks may need to call on reserve forward Nick Collison to play more minutes because Perk and Ibaka have given him nearly nothing in this series.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks pressed all the right buttons in the series against the Spurs. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

What a difference a week makes. Last week the San Antonio Spurs were on a historic roll, winning 20 in a row and were a perfect 10-0 in the postseason.

Seven days later the unbeatable Spurs are going fishing after dropping four consecutive games to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs’ season ended Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, as the young and hungry Thunder — led by three-time scoring champ Kevin Durant — overcame a 15-point halftime deficit in Game 6 and closed out the Western Conference finals series with a 107-99 victory.

The Thunder will get their first taste of the NBA Finals while the Spurs are left with a bitter taste in their mouths after dropping the ball on what seemed like a sure-fire championship. The Thunder showed remarkable composure for such a playoff novice, while the veteran-laden Spurs were the ones looking unsure and played out of character.

“As sad as disappointed as we are it’s almost like a Hollywood script for OKC in a sense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They went through Dallas, last year’s NBA champion. They went through the Lakers and they went through us. Those three teams represent 10 of the last 13 championships.”

It’s not often Popovich gets outcoached in a playoff series but Scott Brooks pressed the right buttons for OKC. It started with the hack-a-Splitter in Game 2, staying with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins and deciding against small ball, and putting Thabo Sefolosha on Tony Parker in Game 3.

Brooks challenged his big men to switch every pick-and-roll and Ibaka and Perkins rewarded their coach with more energy and effort. There was a great moment in Game 3 in OKC when Perkins was caught in a switch with Parker and instead of backing up Perkins started clapping his hands as he moved forward on Parker, signaling to the Spurs point guard to “bring it!”

And instead of minimizing his role in the series Brooks increased Sefolosha’s minutes and although he didn’t completely shut down Parker he made it harder for the Spurs’ leading scorer to find open teammates because of his length.

Another adjustment Brooks made was the ball screens for Durant. He had Durant in high pick-and-rolls with Russell Westbrook and Perkins to create mismatches and forced Duncan and Parker in one-one-one situations against Durant and created better floor spacing for the OKC shooters.

After the Thunder tied the series at 2-2, Popovich gambled by starting Manu Ginobili in Game 5. It was an uncharacteristically desperate move by the four-time world champion coach. The move not only pushed Danny Green to the bench but it also junked up a rotation that had been so good all season.

In hindsight Popovich probably should have stayed the course and a former Spurs player was also critical of Pop’s decision to tinker with his lineup this late in the season.

Robert Horry, who won two titles with the Spurs, said on NBA TV’s “Game Time” what hurt the Spurs having Ginobili in the starting lineup is it zapped San Antonio’s scoring punch off the bench especially in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a tag team that him and Tony share,” Horry said. “First quarter Tony does his thing then Manu comes in the second quarter.

“They are both very ball dominant, and they get their plays off the pick-and-rolls,” Horry continued. “Now with the insertion of Manu it takes away that punch that you have and you need to keep that punch sometimes because it’s the rhythm you have and that’s what the team is used to and I just think it went helter-skelter kinda crazy with both those guys trying to handle the basketball.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (left) battles Tim Duncan (middle) and Danny Green of the Spurs for a rebound. (GETTY IMAGES)

The San Antonio game plan for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals was simple. Crowd Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden and put the onus on the offensively challenged Oklahoma City big men.

In theory it’s an excellent well-conceived idea by Gregg Popovich and the Spurs coaching staff. But what Popovich didn’t anticipate was 22 out of 25 baskets from Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, and Nick Collison. Ibaka was the biggest headache for the Spurs, as he made all 11 field goals he attempted and finished the night with 26 points.

When Popovich was asked how effective Ibaka was Saturday night he said, “Eleven for eleven, that’s pretty big effect.”

Ibaka was spectacular but Perkins wasn’t too shabby either, hitting seven of nine shots for 15 points. He had scored just 12 in the first three games. Add Collison’s eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and you have the recipe for victory and a 2-2 series.

So what’s the game plan for Popovich for the pivotal Game 5? “Maybe they’ll do it again, but I don’t think so,” the Spurs coach said. “We’re going to play the same defense, and if they don’t shoot as well it won’t be because of our defense it’ll be because they didn’t shoot as well. ”

San Antonio’s prove-it-to-me-again game plan will either send the Spurs into the NBA Finals or it will lead to a disappointing finish to a postseason that saw them run off 10 straight victories.  Popovich is not about to scrap his defensive plan just because Ibaka couldn’t miss.

Ibaka’s perfect night was the first 11-for-11 playoff game since 1985 when Celtics forward Scott Wedman tossed a perfect game against the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

“Obviously you try to put your attention on the big three [Durant, Westbrook, Harden] and you try to do a great job on them first, naturally. Their bigs came through and were outstanding. I think they were 22 of 25 or some crazy thing. If you do a shooting drill with nobody guarding you I don’t think you can do that.”

Former Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said the Spurs have bigger issues than scheming against Oklahoma City’s frontcourt players.

“Where are San Antonio’s shooters? They gotta find their rhythm again,” Mitchell said on NBA TV’s “Game Time.”

“Oklahoma City has taken them out of their comfort zone. They’re not getting those open shots because Tony Parker doesn’t have any driving lane,” Mitchell said. “[Parker] is not making that first pass that makes Oklahoma City rotate. Right now Oklahoma City is staying at home guarding their guy. Unless San Antonio can put them in rotation and get them out of position it’s gonna be tough for them to score.”

Mitchell added: “They were hedging toward Tony Parker and he kicked it out. Oklahoma City feels they’re athletic enough to get to San Antonio’s shooters. Ginobili is the only one who can pump fake and drive all the way to the basket. [Oklahoma City] is saying ‘if we can get Tony Parker out of the paint we can get to their shooters.’ And some of San Antonio shooters are gonna have to sacrifice their threes, show and go, that means take one dribble, get in the paint, and them make Oklahoma City rotate.”

Game 5 is going to be a war, and whoever wins Monday night will most likely win the series.

Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins dunks over Boris Diaw in Game 1 of the Thunder-Spurs series. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The biggest mistake Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks made in the Game 1 loss to San Antonio was his decision to play “small ball.”

Instead of sticking with his normally rotation, Brooks tried to match the lineup Spurs coach Gregg Popovich went with in the fourth quarter and it totally backfired. The nine-point lead Oklahoma City took into the final quarter vanished as the Spurs — mainly using a lineup that included four guards and one center — were able to get to the basket at will and punished the Thunder in the paint.

Manu Ginobili, who scored a team-high 26 points, and Tony Parker took turns driving to the basket and the end result was a 39-point fourth quarter for the home team. The Thunder defense faltered down the stretch and Brooks knows why. He decided to sit the league’s best shot-blocker, Serge Ibaka, and went with a smaller lineup that included three guards (Derek Fisher, Russell Westbrook, James Harden), one forward (Kevin Durant) and one center (Kendrick Perkins).

Brooks later admitted that keeping Ibaka, the runner-up in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year balloting, on the bench in the fourth quarter was a mistake and he’ll likely change that strategy in Game 2. He said he beat himself up over not putting his defensive ace back in the game, while explaining how sidelining Ibaka seemed the right idea at the time. After all, Brooks said keeping Ibaka out and going with a smaller lineup worked in the previous playoff series against the defending champion Mavericks and the Lakers.

”I think every decision you make, if it doesn’t work out, you say, ‘Why did you do that?”’ Brooks told The Associated Press. ”And I’m with you on that. I wish I would’ve played Serge [Sunday].”

By keeping Ibaka — who played just 21 minutes in Game 1 — on the bench, it allowed Popovich to use two point guards (Parker and Gary Neal) and got away with using Stephen Jackson (who is better suited at guard or small forward) at power forward and did a decent job on Durant.

Expect Brooks to call Ibaka’s number a little bit more the rest of the series and make the Spurs react to their big lineup. Having Ibaka and Perkins on the court forces Popovich to play a more conventional lineup, which means Neal has to sit and Boris Diaw or Matt Bonner may have to play big minutes.

Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook will go head-to-head in the Western Conference finals. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

ESPN basketball guru Stephen A. Smith — also known as Screaming A. or Stephen Naismith, whichever you prefer — says the San Antonio Spurs are unbeatable and doesn’t think any of the teams left in the NBA playoffs, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, can knock them off.

“They don’t have a weakness,” Screaming A. says of the Spurs, who have won 18 consecutive games and have yet to drop a game in the 2012 NBA playoffs. “How can you beat them? You have to hope they beat themselves.”

In the history of basketball, no team is unbeatable — not even the great San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs won’t beat themselves, so that approach is out the window. But there are several matchups the Thunder can exploit to give the Spurs a run for their money.

Here are five things to watch in the Spurs-Thunder conference finals:

1-TIM DUNCAN VS. PERKINS, IBAKA, COLLISON, MOHAMMED

No matter how old he gets or how his role has changed on offense, Duncan remains the foundation of the Spurs program. He is the anchor on defense and his presence on offense allows Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green room to operate. Kendrick Perkins will likely get the assignment to guard the future Hall-of-Famer, but he won’t be alone. Expect OKC head coach Scott Brooks to throw different bodies at Duncan, including Ibaka, Collison and Duncan’s former teammate Nazr Mohammed. The Thunder big men won’t get much help from their teammates because they must stay attached to the Spurs’ 3-point shooters. This means the OKC bigs must deal with Duncan one-on-one, and their ability to make Duncan work and expend energy will be an important part of the game plan.

2-TONY PARKER VS. RUSSELL WESTBROOK

Parker pretty much had his way against the Thunder during the regular season, including a 42-point game, so it is up to Westbrook to make Parker work a little harder on defense. Westbrook is coming off a great series against the L.A. Lakers, but none of the Laker guards really challenged him. Parker is a totally different beast. Parker will test Westbrook on every possession with an array of screen-and-rolls, and Westbrook must be able to fight through the picks and not allow Parker to easily turn the corner. On offense, Westbrook has to punish Parker by posting him up from time to time and maybe get a couple of cheap fouls on him. This is one of the marquee matchups for the playoffs and should be fun to watch two of the fastest guys in the league go head-to-head.

3-MANU GINOBILI VS. JAMES HARDEN

Harden was recently named the best sixth man in the NBA, but he’s now matched up against the former Sixth Man of the Year. Ginobili and Harden are eerily similar in the way they play. Both are lefties to begin with, but they’ve also mastered the art of the Euro step. Ginobili brought the Euro step to the NBA in 2003, and Harden is one of just a handful of American-born players who have incorporated the move into their offensive repertoire. The Spurs won two out of three games against the Thunder during the regular season, but Ginobili didn’t play in any of them. It will be interesting to note how Harden and Co. will game plan for Ginobili, who is the fire that ignites Gregg Popovich’s methodical offense.

4-GOING DEEP ON THE BENCH

The strength of the Spurs this season has been their depth. Popovich can go 10 deep in his rotation, and the addition of Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw halfway through the season only bolstered their roster. Parker, Green, Leonard, Diaw and Duncan start the game, but the Spurs don’t lose much on both ends when they bring in Gary Neal, Ginobili, Jackson, Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter off the bench. The Thunder won’t be able to compete with the Spurs’ depth, but they can get contribution from some key bench guys. Obviously the offense will run through Harden when the starts sit, but Derek Fisher and Daequan Cook must be able to knock down some 3-pointers to keep up with the high-scoring Spurs, and Collison and Mohammed need to win the rebounding battle.

5-DURANT MUST CLOSE THE DEAL

The Spurs have may the most complete team in this series, but the Thunder easily has the best player in Kevin Durant. The three-time scoring champion was absolutely clutch in the Lakers series and for OKC to advance it’ll need another super effort from its MVP. Just like the previous round, there will be moments in this series when the Thunder will ask Durant to make game-winning plays and he must be able to deliver on cue. Durant said he learned a lot from last year’s elimination against Dallas in the conference finals. The Thunder are back in the West finals, and we’ll see if they learned from their mistakes. For the Thunder to eliminate the Spurs Durant must be extra special. He is the one player the Spurs won’t be able to match up against. Can Durant rise up to the challenge and lead the Thunder into the NBA Finals? Can’t wait to find out.

Carmelo Anthony is the most heralded superstar to wear the New York Knicks uniform since Patrick Ewing. But the Knicks paid a heavy price to acquire him. (Jason Miller/ US Presswire)

The two biggest losers, without a doubt, during NBA “Tradefest” were the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks got their man in Carmelo Anthony, but they practically gutted their team to get him. On the outside, the deal was a no-brainer and seemingly well worth a three-month headache. Melo is the most celebrated NBA superstar the Knicks have had since Patrick Ewing. Sorry, Amare. You are Robin to Carmelo’s Batman.

However, on the inside, the Knicks could have signed Anthony during the summer and kept all their pieces together. Anthony never intended to sign Denver’s offer sheet from the get-go. It was all posturing on his end, and to the Nuggets’ credit they never budged. It was a game of “who blinks first” and fortunately for Denver Knicks CEO James Dolan couldn’t stay patient and went all in too soon. He sent three quality players – Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler – to Denver, making the Knicks’ roster extremely thin.

The move falls totally on Dolan’s lap (with Isiah Thomas in his left ear) because if it were up to GM Donnie Walsh, the Knicks probably would have folded their cards last week and simply waited for Melo to walk through the front door of Madison Square Garden sometime in July with pen in hand itching to sign a contract with the team he so dearly wanted to play for. That would have given the Knicks are very potent lineup of Amare Stoudemire, Gallinari, Chandler, Felton and Anthony.

Dolan better hope Chris Paul lands in New York in 2012.

The other team that took a hit at the trade deadline was Boston. GM Danny Ainge may have caused a minor earthquake in Massachusetts by sending two very popular players in starting center Kendrick Perkins and backup point guard Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City in exchange for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic.

After losing in Denver on Thursday, just hours after the deal was done, an emotional Kevin Garnett – without question the heart and soul of the Celtics – had a difficult time coping with the loss of his teammates, telling reporters that it was an extremely “tough day” and he feels like he just “lost a family member.”

Perkins was not only the anchor of the Celtics interior defense but he was also a huge part of a Boston starting five, along with KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, that has never lost a playoff series when they are all healthy. That record will remain intact because Big Perk will no longer man the middle for Gang Green, grabbing loose balls, setting picks, battling Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol in the paint, intimidating refs and protecting the basket. All the intangibles that Perkins brings to the court will be missed.

Ainge was the toast of Beantown in 2007 when he acquired KG and Ray Allen and surrounded head coach Doc Rivers with a very capable roster. With this recent transaction, Ainge’s standing in the Celtics community is on thin ice. If the Celtics falter in the playoffs, Ainge could be roasted in Beantown.

Seven minutes into Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Celtics lost their starting center when he came down awkwardly on his right knee while trying to grab an offensive rebound away from Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Perkins fell to the floor and immediately pointed his right knee and called for the Boston medical staff.

He was helped off the court and taken to the locker room, and did not return. The initial report is that he tore two ligaments on his knee and is out for Game 7. He was seen leaving the arena on his own power, but definitely was favoring the knee.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said not having the 6-10, 280-pound Perkins puts the Celtics are at a huge disadvantage against the bigger and taller Lakers. “He’s one of our guys that gives us great spirit. He gives us a lot of toughness and gives us size. I hope he can play. It’ll be tough if he can’t. Somebody else is going to have to step forward. He cleans the paint up. Not having him there made the Lakers awfully long.”

Kendrick Perkins lays on the floor after injuring his right knee in the first quarter of Game 6. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Without Perkins manning the middle and cleaning up Boston’s bricks, the Celtics were manhandled, 52-39, on the boards and the Lakers dominated the game, 89-67, Tuesday night.

Rivers added that not having Perkins in the lineup allowed the Lakers to rest Bynum, who is nursing a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Lakers were able to tread water when their starting 7-foot center was on the bench. The Celtics, on the other hand, absolutely drowned when their starting center was taken out of the game.

You could sense that as soon as Perkins left the game, the Celtics were not the same team. In fact, seeing Perkins getting helped off the court really killed Boston’s spirit.

“I think we were a little focused on when Perk was going to come back instead of continuing to play. As soon as halftime came we all ran to the training room to see if he was OK. Our energy went down for a little bit, but for the most part it’s not an excuse. We just didn’t have it,” said Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who suffered a gash on his chin after running into Ron Artest’s elbow in the second half.

“Perk is our enforcer. He’s the biggest body we have on Bynum. He cleans the paint up for us. He does a lot of the intangibles. He’s a great shot-blocker, rebounder and he’s the anchor of our defense.”

Former Celtic Kevin McHale, who was at Game 6 covering the game for NBATV, said Perkins is one of the toughest players in the league and for him to sit this one out shows the seriousness of the injury. “Kendrick’s got a fairly severe knee injury and when you do something like that the swelling would be hard for them to eliminate. Believe me, when you have an injury like that, you go to bed thinking ‘You know Coach, I don’t feel that bad.’ Then you wake up the next morning and you put that first step in and it’s like someone hit you with a sledge hammer.”

The Celtics say they are still confident they can win the series even without their best post defender, but realistically their NBA title hopes may have disappeared when Perkins’ knee gave out.

But one thing is for sure, they’re not going to use Perkins’ injury as an excuse.

“Perk brings rebounding and defense to the game, and his toughness so you lose that. But that’s not an excuse,” said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. “We’re a mentally tough team. We’ve had injuries all year, and we know how to win when guys go down.”

Video courtesy of NBA.com

Celtics center Kendrick Perkins is a hard-nosed defender who has earned a reputation for being tough on referees. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers says Kendrick Perkins is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. So, why does this mild-mannered guy off the court keep getting whistled for technical fouls?

“I’m not gonna answer that. I’ll let you guys [the reporters] answer that,” Rivers said after Game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference finals, a game in which the Celtics’ starting center was ejected in the first half after receiving two technical fouls, which at the time gave him a league-high seven for the playoffs – an automatic one-game suspension.

After reviewing the incident, the NBA league office released a statement on Thursday and decided to rescinded the second technical foul on Perkins, clearing him to play in Game 6. However, Perkins is not out of the woods yet because one more technical and he’s off to the penalty box.

“Perk plays hard, he looks mean,” Rivers added. “He’s a great guy. I’ll leave it at that.”

Perkins was called for technical early in the first half after he bumped Magic backup center Marcin Gortat with his elbow while trying to help up teammate Paul Pierce. Then, with under a minute left in the second quarter, Perkins was called for a second technical after he argued a foul call. Even though Perkins walked away from referee Eddie Rush, Rush still served him the technical and Perkins had to leave the game.

“Didn’t think he deserved either one, but he got them. It happens,” Rivers argued. “It’s amazing we talk about this before the game, the double technical thing. Perk was bending down picking the ball up and got a tech for being around. I don’t know how he got that tech. The other tech, you know, when you argue it was awful quick but they called it. I did think that Eddie Rush realized once he called it he couldn’t rescind the tech because he had forgotten he had given him the other one. I don’t think Perk wouldn’t have gotten that one. But that happens.”

For the past three seasons, the Celtics have developed a reputation for being very tough on referees, seemingly challenging every call, and the bad perception grew even stronger this season with the addition of Rasheed Wallace, who holds the NBA record for most technicals in one season (41).

In this year’s playoffs alone, Boston has been whistled for 20 technical fouls and Perkins is the clubhouse leader with six.

“But we put ourselves in that position,” Rivers said. “Like I told our guys, you can’t make any excuses. If they don’t stand, then somebody else has to step forward and that’s just the way it is.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy had nothing to say about Perkins’ technicals, but he did manage to bring up the two questionable flagrant foul calls on two of his players.

“I don’t call technical fouls. I don’t have any thoughts. I didn’t think Dwight deserved the flagrant foul from the last game and I didn’t think Matt Barnes deserved the flagrant four that they gave to him on Kevin Garnett.”

Perkins and Wallace, along with forward Glenn Davis, took turns in harassing Howard into a 3-for-10 night shooting from the field and held the Magic All-NBA center to 13 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Defense was the key to Boston’s 92-88 victory and for Orlando to unlock the Celtics’ game plan, Howard needs to stop acting like Blankman and start playing like Superman

“Rasheed was phenomenal defensively tonight, and he’s been good in the playoffs for us and that’s what we wanted from him when we signed him,” Rivers said of Wallace, who also scored 13 points off the bench.

Orlando's Dwight Howard struggled against Boston's defense in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Wallace knows Howard very well, and he seems to get in Howard’s head whenever they go head to head, going to back to Wallace’s days in Detroit when the Pistons knocked out Howard and the Magic twice in the postseason.

“He’s a knowledgeable big who has a lot of game,” Rivers said of Wallace, who was acquired during the offseason to bolster Boston’s frontcourt. “I thought, defensively, he did some old tricks that were just terrific.”

On one play in the first half, Wallace forced Howard into a traveling violation after pulling the chair on him. Howard became visibly upset when Wallace pinned his arm as both men locked up on the wing trying to gain post position.

“They’re going to make it tough for him. They’re going to foul him and get physical with him,” Vince Carter said of the Celtics’ defensive approach in stopping Howard. “I mean, he’s a physical presence himself but that’s what they are going to do. We have to do a better job, first of all when he’s open, getting him the ball. And we have to make plays to make it easier for him. Once we’re making shots and making plays, then we let them kinda worry about what we’re doing and I think it opens things up for him. Some nights when he gets rolling, it opens things up for us. So we have to return the favor.”

Carter’s advice to his teammate?

“Just keep playing. It’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a war. We know that,” Carter said. “They’ve been there before, we’ve been through some battles throughout this season and we still feel good about ourselves. We’re going to continue to support him and stay on him to make sure he’s not frustrated, and just play basketball and have fun.

“He puts pressure on himself because he wants to win. He wants to be perfect or as perfect as possible and do what he has to do to lead this team. But at the same time we always tell him he’s not out there by himself. We’re going to support him. And I think when he realizes that, he settles down.”

Carter is confident the Magic will bounce back. He said it starts with better execution on offense, avoid turnovers and match Boston’s intensity on both ends of the court.

“I don’t think we were prepared for the level that they were ready to play. They were ready to go from the jump and we weren’t on their level in the beginning more than anything,” Carter said of the Celtics, who took a 22-14 lead in the first quarter and led by 16 after the third quarter.

“They’re relentless, they’re aggressive. They work on a string and play well together. So, we’ll just have to be smart, continue to move the ball to the open man to get good shots. They do a great job of contesting when they took away the paint. Took us a while to figure it out, but when we did we played a lot better. When you have a team like that that plays smothering defense and very physical at the same time, you just have to be patient. They tend to rush you, and that’s how they play.”