As I entered the east side of the TD Garden yesterday with my good friend KWAPT, we noticed a player getting out of a white Caddilac Escalade. From far away it looked like Stephen Lasme but as he got closer KWAPT said, "That is Perk". I replied by saying, "No way is that Perk, he looks way to skinny."
Instead of smothering him like 18,624 fans do on any given day we continued our way into the Garden. On this particular occasion we had what they call "Legends Passes" that allow us to enter the game an hour before the general public.
We checked in with the "Legends people", presented our ticket to the Garden staff, and made our way to the second level of the historic building. That is when we noticed this same figure we saw prior to entering the building walking in front of us.
KWAPT once again stated, "That's Perk.' To which I once again replied, "No way is that Perk, it's too small to be Perk." So we continued walking a few steps and the figure turned around to look at us... it was Perk.
After recognizing us and looking around to make sure he wasn't going to be swarmed by thousands of fans he stopped and said, "How y'all doin'?" He shook our hands, talked about his new shirt created by the guys at Perk is a Beast, and informed us the rehab was coming along very well. Overall, he was a very cool dude to talk to and he did actually smile.
After taking the escalator up to the "loge" level of the TD Garden behind Perk we said our "good lucks" and "goodbyes" then continued to our seats by the Celtics tunnel.
We watched Harangody, Bradley, Erden, and a few others warm up for a few minutes then once again saw this same figure we saw earlier exit the tunnel in shorts and a t-shirt, and with a basketball in his hands. Yes, it was Perk.
Perk spent around 20 minutes out on the court shooting close-range shots and free throws, exiting the court before the clock showed 60:00 minutes on the TD Garden jumbotron. For those of you unfamiliar, that is when they let the general public into the arena.
Anyways, out of the 20 minutes he was out there I was able to capture eleven seconds of footage thanks to my almost dead camera. What this video doesn't show is the seven or eight straight shots Perk made from this same distance.
I'm not sure if this is any indication that Perk will be back any sooner than planned but I am sure that Perk is going to work hard every step of the way and push as hard as he can. Oh and by the way, I can't wait for the regular season to start.
Enjoy the footage below.
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