Celtics Expecting a Kendrick Perkins Suspension?

Doc Rivers doesn’t sound all that confident that his mean-muggin’ big fella can keep his emotions in check enough to play in every NBA Finals game: “Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins has six technical fouls this postseason. One more and he’ll earn an automatic one-game suspension, according to league rules. Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday he won’t tell Perkins to tone it down, and he more or less expects the center to get suspended in the NBA Finals against the Lakers. ‘Unfortunately, I hope it doesn’t, but you know it’s going to happen,’ Rivers said. ‘Perk is physical, the Lakers are saying they want to be physical now, so the refs are going to react to that, and what’s going to happen is it’ll be a double-technical [foul] that Perk doesn’t deserve and we’re going to have to deal with it. It’s unfair, but that’s the way it is.’ Meanwhile, Perkins said he can’t worry about walking a tightrope when it comes to his style of play. ‘Ninety percent of it is under my control,’ he said. ‘It’s going to be a heated rivalry and everything, so I’ve got to control my emotions.’ Perkins added, ‘I have a lot of people reminding me to stay calm, so I’m cool.”‘