Kendrick Perkins Believes Celtics Are Ready to Go to the Finals After Jayson Tatum’s Return
Mar 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) congratulates forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images The Boston Celtics are now 5-2 since Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles injury earlier this month. He’s stabilized the high-flying Celtics even further, and have helped them truly establish themselves as one of the top contenders from the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics are looking so good that analyst Kendrick Perkins already has them going far. Jaylen Brown, in Tatum’s absence, already established himself as one of the best players in the league, averaging close to 30 points per game, and keeping the Celtics close to the top seed. But now that Tatum, the face of the franchise is back, expectations are sky-rocketing.
Earlier today, the Celtics defeated the Warriors , 120-99, with ease, with Brown scoring 32 and Tatum 24. It’s a sign they are in cruise control. Perkins for one, sees them being one of the finalists this season.
“They’re ready to go to the NBA Finals,” Perkins said on ESPN when asked about what he’s seen from Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Celtics so far. “They’re the best, still, duo in the Eastern Conference- they have the most championship experience. ” The Celtics are now 7-3 in their last ten games.
They sit just 3. 5 games behind the Pistons at No. 1 and with 13 games remaining in their season, it’s going to be tough to catch them.