Kendrick Perkins Explains His Hard Foul

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- As Kevin Garnett described it after the game, playing the Pistons on their home court is like walking into a bar on the wrong side of town. "Everything you gain, you're going to have to fight for it," Garnett said. "Those guys, they play really hard. We know this team like they know us, and every time we meet up it's like an all-out slugfest."

For a few moments, it seemed like Garnett's slugfest analogy might actually come true: Kendrick Perkins fouled Jason Maxiell hard in the fourth quarter, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the ground. A brief shoving match ensued, and Perkins was given an automatic ejection. I was in Boston's locker room after the game to hear Perkins' explanation for what happened.

"I was just trying to foul him from getting a layup," Perkins said. "I was really trying to come across and hit his arms, but he stuck his neck down. So after I grabbed his head, I was already coming down in motion. I was just trying to grab his arms, I was really trying to foul and hit him across his arms. He end up sticking his neck down, I end up catching his neck. I wasn't nothing like I wanted to hit him in his head, because I ain't never tried to hurt nobody."

Looking at the replay, it's hard to believe he didn't know what he was doing. After Maxiell grabbed the rebound, Perkins raised his hand and waited for Maxiell to make his move. Once Maxiell started to jump, Perkins came down over the top of his head. Perkins was never in position to make a play on the ball, especially considering he never even tried to get between Maxiell and the basket.

The more reporters pressed Perkins on the foul (and in particular, his apparent follow-through, which sent Maxiell to the ground) the more his story began to shift. "I was trying to just give him a hard foul anyway," Perkins said. "The follow-through wasn't [because] I had his head, because I really didn't even know what part of the body I hit. I really closed my eyes, so I don't even know what part of the body I hit."

Even if Perkins wasn't trying to hurt Maxiell, I'm not sure swinging his arms around indiscriminately with his eyes closed is any better.

For what it's worth, Celtics coach Doc Rivers seemed to agree that Perkins crossed the line. "It was a hard foul from Perk, and I don't like him committing fouls that hard because we don't want to give up layups but we don't want him thrown out of the game," Rivers said. "And with the rules now, you're going to get thrown out if it's excessive, and they're going to do that. We could have used Perk in that game."

I tried to ask Maxiell his thoughts about the incident in Detroit's locker room but he politely declined. He didn't seem to be any worse for wear, but I won't be surprised if he remembers what happened the next time these teams meet.