Perkins Not Suspended for Game 4

By KC Downey in Celtics, Top Story ⋅ May 10, 2009 at 3:54pm ⋅ Post a comment

First, Happy Mother’s Day! Without mothers’ efforts, these athletes we love to watch would not be where they are. So thank you! Mothers around New England will be treated to a full slate of action Sunday, with the Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox all scheduled to play.

Speaking of the Celtics, center Kendrick Perkins will not be suspended for an elbow that hit Orlando’s Mickael Pietrus in the chin and throat and drew a flagrant one foul. NBA spokesman Tim Frank confirmed in an e-mail Saturday that the league reviewed the play and it stands as called.

Reaction: Personally, I think Perkins did hit him in the face, but it wasn’t an intentional elbow. He was battling Pietrus down low and to be effective, you need to throw elbows. This elbow happened to catch Pietrus right in the face, but it wasn’t bad enough for league officials to overturn the ruling.

Without Perk, the Celtics would have been in deep trouble. As it is, they’re down 2-1 heading into Game 4 Sunday night.