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As the NBA Playoffs begin, former Celtics star Kendrick Perkins picks the Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference, despite competition from the Cavaliers, Knicks, and Pistons.
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum
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With the NBA Playoffs kicking off this weekend, four teams appear to have legitimate hopes of winning the Eastern Conference: the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.
Despite being the second seed, the Celtics are favored by the sportsbooks, and former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins agrees with that assessment.
"I have the Boston Celtics coming out of the East. They should be the favorites," Perkins said of his former team on Friday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show."
"They have the best duo in the Eastern Conference in Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They have the most championship experience out of everybody in the Eastern Conference when you look at their core guys and where they have been," Perkins continued. "They play both ends of the floor, and the most important thing is that Jayson Tatum has come back and accepted his role for this year as the Robin to JB as the Batman."
Kendrick Perkins picked the Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference.
The contenders for the Eastern Conference title include the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Detroit Pistons.
The Boston Celtics are favored to win the Eastern Conference due to their second seed position and strong support from sportsbooks.

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Perkins explained how smooth Tatum's return to Boston's starting lineup has been despite missing most of the season with an Achilles injury, highlighting Tatum's rebounding, passing and scoring.
His return gave the Celtics a major boost down the stretch, helping them win 13 of 16 games when he was on the court.
"They have real structure, and they are the favorites, in my opinion, to come out of the Eastern Conference," Perkins concluded.