Maybe the Celts would still be down 3-1 even if they had Perk, but the bottom line is the trade was not a good one. The Celts got back nothing to help them in this trade. When we look at it in the future, that will be the conclusion. The Celts got nothing for Perk.
This statment makes no sense. First and foremost, the Celtics got a 1st round draft pick for Perkins, so right off the bat your comment "The Celts got nothing for Perk" is factually wrong.
Second - Jeff Green has been a valuable addition to this team. His defense on James in Game 3 was top notch and he did another decent job against him last night when Lebron was at the top of his game. I'd note that Lebron scored 20 in the first quarter, mostly against Pierce. There is no one else on the team right now who can provide what Green provides off the bench. The problem is that this team is so desperate for offense right now that there are no minutes for Greeen because Pierce has to be on the floor as much as possible, and they need KG's defense and rebounding. I liked the lineup last night with KG at the 5, JG at the 4, Pierce at the 3, Ray at the 2 and D-West at 1...that's the best offensive lineup they can put out on the court. Rondo at less than 90% health is an offensive liability.
Follwing that point, Green is only 24 years old, a 6'10" 3/4 combo with range and - as we are seeing - defensive ability. He needs to be tougher on the boards. He also needs to PLAY MORE. We simply haven't seen enough of what he can do. That will happen next year, and by that time Danny can determine if he wants to resign him or trade his expiring contract.
Finally - I want all the Perkins lovers to remember that he is now a 4-year @ $9 million per player who last time gave OKC 4 pts and 8 boards, with -10 +/-, in 35 min of a 3-Overtime critical playoff game. He is arguably the worst offensive 5 in the league and has terrible hands. He's an average rebounder and above-average to good defensive player. I'd take Zaza Pachulia for half the price over Perk any day.
Danny Ainge has been completely vindicated by the trade. He made a calculated gamble that Orlando was nothing to worry about and that the Lakers wouldn't make it out of the West. He was right on both accounts. He traded for JG because he knew that to get to the EC Finals, the Celtics would have to go through Lebron James and Dwayne Wade, and he needed another perimeter player to deal with them. I am so glad that he is the GM of my team because of this type of move.