Kendrick Perkins wanted to know why the New York Knicks were, once again, so slow to start Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 against the Boston Celtics. Given that New York trailed 71-46, it was a perfectly fair question to ask. Perkins just took the long way asking it.
He started smoothly, saying that trailing 2-0 in the series, it was well known that the Celtics would come out hard.
“Here’s the thing I want to ask y’all,” Perkins said to co-hosts Stephen A. Smith, Malika Andrews and Bob Myers. “We knew that the Celtics were gonna come out there and fight and was ready for this game.”
Before Perkins could finish that thought, be brought up his grandmother, first appearing to forget that she is still alive.
“My grandmother, Mary Eve Lewis, God rest — you know, bless her this upcoming Mother’s Day. She has Alzheimer’s. She was ready for this game,” he said.
“My grandmother, Mary Eve Lewis, God rest – you know, bless her this upcoming Mother’s Day – she has Alzheimer’s. She was ready for this game.”
Kendrick Perkins on another slow start from the Knicks against the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/ixTjjqEX4M
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 10, 2025
We’ll second that sentiment and wish Perkins’ grandmother, and all mothers out there, a happy Mother’s Day.
Perkins then picked his original question back up.
“If you’re the Knicks, how do you keep easing into the basketball game, knowing that this was gonna be a high-intensity game?”
Perkins is correct. That’s certainly something for Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks to work on. They’ve been slow starters in the series against the Celtics. And unlike Games 1 and 2, there was no second-half comeback. Boston easily defeated New York, 115-93.