Perk Day to Day with Ankle Sprain

Kendrick Perkins -- left ankle sprain. Day-to-Day. #thunder
— John Rohde (@RohdeOK) November 3, 2012

Perk walked gingerly to the locker room after a collision with a Blazers player with about 5 minutes to go in the game. Nick Collison came in and filled in very well, as he always does, at center with Perk out. Hopefully it isn't serious and he'll be back on the court for Sunday's game vs the Hawks.

While some people may point to his 1 point and 4.5 rebound stats and say that the Thunder won't miss much if he is out, they miss a lot more than stats when Perk isn't playing. Scott Brooks knows this and credited Perk and the centers for the success of the offense. Perk is one of the best pick setters in the league and that opens up his teammates for easier shots. He also is the anchor on the defense. Stats never tell the whole story when it comes to Perk's effect on a game. And to his credit, he doesn't care about stats, just the wins.

Celtics Links for Today 11/3

Herald  The Bucks stomp here
C’s curbing enthusiasm
Return to Boston bit ‘weird’ for Marquis Daniels
Paul Pierce & company out of sorts
Bobcats snap losing streak at 23 games
Knicks roll past Heat 104-84 in New York opener
James Harden has 45, Rockets beat Hawks 109-102
Glen Davis scores 29, Magic hold off Nuggets 102-89
Clippers send Lakers to 0-3 start with 105-95 win
Globe   Final: Bucks 99, Celtics 88
Celtics Fall to Bucks in Home Opener
Celtics showed a failure to communicate in their home opener
Boston Celtics Dropped by Milwaukee Bucks
Celtics lose home opener to Milwaukee Bucks

Comments from the Other Side - Blazers 11/2

Here it is! The first CFTOS of the season. I'll try to put these up after wins this season. The comments after losses are pretty depressing :) Blazers fans seem to embody the fact that if all else fails, blame the refs. I've been watching the Thunder since the Perk trade and in my opinion, KD doesn't get near as many calls as he should from the refs. In this game, OKC did get some calls but not near as many as these fans would have you believe.

This is gonna be a tough one. I expect Westbrook to go off.

I usually take a pretty optimistic view, but after last night I think OKC comes out with fire and the Blazers might get smoked.

Beat the NotSonics by any means necessary!

Perkins will try to punk Leonard. Should be interesting to see how that goes.

Celtics Links for Today 11/2

Herald  Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade exchange more barbs
Celtics look to fix communication breakdown
Globe  For Celtics, time to turn talent into a team
Kevin Garnett’s return was critical factor in the Celtics’ retooling
Celtics Green  Glue Guys
Downs Among 8 Invited to Red Claws Camp
Who's the Punk??
Practice Report 11/1
Bucks (0-0) at Celtics (0-1) 11/2

Perk's Coachable Moment

I love Perk. The big guy is just special. Perk finished the game with 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. 3 of those rebounds were on the offensive end. And as always, he did the things that don't show up in the box score like setting screens, defending, and boxing out so that his teammates could do their jobs easier.

One on One with Perk

Hat tip to NewsOK for this interview with Perk. He's feeling great and just taking it one day at a time and trying to get better every day. He also said that the Thunder need to stay hungry but humble. That could be Perk's theme for his career. He's always been both throughout his career. When asked about Dwight Howard, he pointed back at the Thunder and that they need to worry about themselves and not the Lakers or any other team. Good interview.

Celtics Links for Today 11/1

Herald  Opener not good start
Clippers in play for Ray Allen in free agency
C’s break down season-opening loss
Lakers drop 2nd straight, fall to Blazers 116-106
Spencer Hawes’ double-double lifts 76ers past Denver 84-75
Globe  Globe 10.0 - Do the Celtics need time to jell?
Celtics need to get it together defensively
Last shots from Celtics-Heat opener