Thunder: Kendrick Perkins will acknowledge Celtic fans, then he's all Thunder

“It's been a lot of different thoughts going through my head,” Perkins said. “You don't want to be too emotional, and you don't want to make it all about yourself because, really, it's all about us getting the win. But at the same time, you're playing against friends of yours. But I still got to be Perk. I still got to be me. It's kind of hard because you're caught in between.”

It's been 11 months since the Celtics pulled the trigger on the surprising trade that brought Perkins to the Thunder. And even though Perk will take the court with Oklahoma City etched across his jersey, his heart still holds a special place for the Celtics and the city of Boston.

This is where Perkins spent his first 7 1/2 seasons. He came to Boston as an 18-year-old kid but left here as a 26-year-old man. In between, Perk enjoyed good times and labored through bad times. He experienced injury-ravaged seasons and the pinnacle of success as a member of the Celtics' 2007-08 title team.

Those memories will remain with Perk forever. So, too, will the love and support Celtics fans reserved for him.

“It was unreal, similar to the love that I get (in Oklahoma City),” Perkins said. “It's very interesting when you can go to cities that the fans have a high basketball IQ and can see what your worth is. I know it may not show up every night in the stat sheet. But if you watch the game, you could be like, ‘Well, Perk played good tonight.' That shows a lot and that just keeps me going. So at the end of the day, like I said, you got mixed emotions. You try to approach it the right way. But at the same time, I'm really the leader of this squad and they follow me so I can't let the emotions get the best of me.”