Kendrick Perkins returns Monday night

January 15, 2012|By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Kendrick Perkins returns to TD Garden Monday night for the first time with his new team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Perkins should be motivated and the crowd should shower him with love in his return. It will be flashback to not-too-distant, better times.

While Perkins will deal with a substantial media horde Monday, it was a little less than two months ago that Perkins was in town in a more intimate setting for Rajon Rondo's charity basketball game at Harvard. Perkins has always been thoughtful when speaking to the media, and it was clear he missed Boston by what he said to reporters after that November game.

"I never knew how much I missed being here," said Perkins. "Definitely missed the whole city of Boston, the whole area of New England. It just felt good to be back playing basketball in Boston. It was a whole lot of fun.

Perkins spent almost eight seasons in Boston, endearing himself to fans with his unselfish play and trademark scowl. The Celtics, as you may have heard, never lost a playoff series with a healthy starting lineup of Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett."

"This city's been good to me since I came into the NBA as a young man at 18," said Perkins. "I never take it for granted and I definitely appreciate all the support when I come back to the New England area. You know I hated to leave."

You can watch more of Perk's November comments in the video above. Leave a comment on Perk's return if you'd like.