Kendrick Perkins rips Jayson Tatum's lack of tenacity in Game 2 loss: "Don't see that dog in him"
Kendrick Perkins ripped Jayson Tatum after the Celtics star was seen struggling against the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their playoff semifinals series. The reigning NBA Champions are now 2-0 against the Knicks in the series after suffering a 91-90 loss on Wednesday.
During Thursday's appearance on ESPN's morning show "Get Up." Perkins expressed his thoughts on Tatum's performance the previous night.
"He's not stepping up, "Perkins said. "At some point, Jayson Tatum's gotta say, 'I'm the best player on the floor. I cannot be guarded.' ... He's one of the most elite scorers in the game today, and I just don't see that tenacity. I don't see that dog in him."
The former NBA player turned analyst compared Tatum to Paul Pierce by using his experience. He stated that Pierce was tenacious and always stepped up to protect his "crib". However, he did not see the same spark in Jayson Tatum in either of the two games in the second round series.
The Boston Celtcis faced a tough competition from the Knicks on Tuesday night, who had a defensive reply for almost every offensive play the defending champions made. OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson were excellent defensively, while Karl Anthony-Towns cleaned up aggressively on rebounds.
Jayson Tatum struggled a lot as he almost saw two bodies marking him in most possessions. The six-time All-Star somehow managed to end the night with 13 points,14 rebounds and five assists but it wasn't enough to secure a win for his team and level the series.
The Celtics will take on the Knicks in Game 3 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
"Celtics need their a** whipped": Kendrick Perkins slams Jayson Tatum & Co. after Game 2 loss against the Knicks
The Knicks delivered a shocker on Wednesday night after securing a second consecutive away win in the semifinal series. The defending champions had no reply for the incredible ball pressure exerted by the Knicks players as they struggled to make their shots from downtown.
Wednesday night's loss did not sit right with former Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins who took to X, to criticize the Jayson Tatum, his coach and his former team.
"Joe, Tatum, Brown and the Celtics need their ass whipped!!! Another embarrassing performance at Home," he tweeted.
The defending champions started their playoff run strong as they secured a 4-1 win against the Orlando Magic in the first round. However, they need to get back in the second round series or their hopes of a repeating a championship run may end in the next few games.
