I can't talk about Kendrick Perkins. I've tried several times to write something about him, but words continually fall short. There's literally too much emotion. They say that you should never put anything in writing after a tough breakup. Apparently you should never put anything in writing after your favorite sports team trades a player you genuinely like, either.
In many ways, this feels like a breakup. I find myself glowering at everyone around me who seems cheerful (the bastards), wondering how they can go about their daily lives when the entire world has changed. The Celtics are no longer the same, and they never will be again. The starting five that had never lost a playoff series together ends its run unbeaten, but incomplete. Kendrick Perkins has been traded.
Perk was a scowling hustler who busted his ass every night. Perk was a warrior. Perk was a champion. But more importantly, Perk was OUR warrior, OUR champion. Celtic fans embraced and adored Perkins' intensity, commitment to defense, and acceptance of his role. Sports fans admire talent and athletic ability, but none of us will ever leap like Blake Griffin or move like Derrick Rose. To truly acquire a fan's LOVE, you need more. You need to be relatable, in some way. You need to work hard, you need to be tough, and you need to be loyal, because we as fans feel that if we were in the same situation, we would be all of those things. Perkins wasn't athletic. He didn't defy gravity. He wasn't fast. But he was as relatable as they come. Not only that, but he played in Boston, a group of blue collar fans who adore hard work more than Hollywood. Perk represented everything we value and love in an athlete.
Look, I understand (sort of) the rationale behind the trade. Green is a young, athletic scorer who fills a couple of gaping holes in the Celtics' roster, coming off the bench at the 3 and 4. Oklahoma City LOVED Jeff Green. They thought he was a great teammate and were very sad to see him go. We wouldn't necessarily be able to afford Perk again next season, and we were uncertain of his knees. So maybe Danny Ainge was thinking attempting to cash in what he could from Perkins now. But what concerns me most about the trade is an intangible. See, not only did Celtic fans embrace Perk, but his teammates did too. They are crushed by his departure, despite the fact that, on paper, he was nothing more than a very good role player. But, as hundreds of writers have pointed out, basketball isn't played on paper. Like almost every great team, the Celtics worked because they clicked as a unit. Without key members of that unit, the machine doesn't perform as well, and eventually it will grind to a halt.
I'll be honest. Today? I don't care about athleticism, roster holes, contracts, or knees. I want Perk back. I think most of Celtic's nation would agree with me. In fact, today and today only, I'd go as far as to say I'd rather lose the title with Perk than win without him. Give me some time, I'll change my mind. But I've given it some thought and I think this is why.
I think the reason sports matter is the same reason books and movies matter. These mediums give us a place where we can escape ourselves for a certain time. There are mediocre books and movies (players and teams) that we read (cheer for) but ultimately forget. But there are also great ones that take us beyond ourselves, prompting emotions seemingly incongruent with our current situations. If you say you've never felt choked up at the end of a great movie, I'll honestly pity you. And we feel that way because we relate to the characters. We feel as though our lives are their lives. Similarly, I know for a fact I wasn't the only Celtic's fan who shed tears hearing about Perkins weeping openly as he packed his bags after learning about the trade.
It feels especially wrong when we are brought back to earth by the fact that sports is a business. Like any business, there is a human element. But ultimately, winning is money. It's possible Boston has a better chance of winning with Jeff Green instead of Perk, which means more money. And money runs the world, not wonderful stories with wonderful characters like this Celtics team and Kendrick Perkins.
No good book or movie ends before the ending. Sure, some do, and they are considered "artsy" or some similar crap. But you can't tell me you walk away feeling fulfilled. Fans of the Celtics after 2008 were given the highest of all highs in sports, a lovable team of players who truly deserved their accomplishments achieving the ultimate goal, treating us to the spectacle of them celebrating and crying, while we celebrated and cried with them. We cried after the 2010 Finals for an entirely different reason, while the love we felt for this team swelled. 2010 was a sad ending, sure. Unsatisfying? Absolutely. But at least it was completed. There was a plot, a climax, and ultimately a page that said "THE END."
This season now feels like an unfinished book, with no chances of a sequel to tie up the loose ends. Perk is gone, we can't do anything about it, and we will never know how the 2011 season SHOULD have ended.
The business of sports fucks us again.
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