Ainge spjallaði við Dan Shaughnessy frá Boston Globe um skiptin:
"First of all, we were leading the conference because of Shaq. We had a better record with Shaq than we did with Perk. Our offense was better and our defense was at least the same. I don't think Perk is Perk yet. I hope that he becomes that for Oklahoma City's sake. We thought it was going to take some time for Perk. He wasn't the shot-blocker or the rebounder that he's been in the past. We think that by adding Jeff Green (Green had 21 against the Warriors last Friday), Nenad Krstic and Troy Murphy, we think we're a better team than we were. Shaq was starting for us when we had the great run this year. Baby [Glen Davis] was finishing for us. So we basically lost middle minutes."
"Nobody put more time and effort into helping Perk become a better player and a better man than me. I spent so much time with Perk. I feel like I raised him in the NBA. I'm a big fan of Kendrick Perkins. I just think we have every bit as good a team now, and it helps us for the future. And the numbers back that up. Now if Shaq and Jermaine [O'Neal] can't play we could be in trouble. But Perk's out for three weeks right now. He's coming off an ACL tear and he's got a sprained MCL on the other knee, so the health of all of those players is in question. I'm a Perk fan. Love him as a player. But I think he's a player that is not irreplaceable. Time will tell."
Látum einnig fylgja með ummæli Kevin Garnett um Jeff Green um daginn:
“Doc’s a mastermind when it comes to the lineups. He’s throwing some things offensively and defensively, things that we haven’t seen since the James Posey days. Man, I’m telling you, every time I see Jeff Green I’m just more impressed. The versatility of this guy is unbelievable. He’s just helping us so much right now.”
HookUp: SportsIllustrated.com & Boston Herald
