Perkins lives dream with son

Returning to his security job at Lyttelton Port, former Canterbury Rams basketballer Kenny Perkins will have plenty of tall tales but true to tell his colleagues.

Perkins thought he had died and gone to basketball heaven this month when he returned to the United States to follow the fortunes of son Kendrick, who was playing for the Boston Celtics in the NBA play-offs.

Boston won its semi-final series against the Detroit Pistons 4-2 and then beat another famous franchise, the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers, 4-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Perkins had to keep pinching himself to make sure it was all real as he sat courtside in most matches, including the decider in Boston, where 20,000 spectators watched the Celtics complete a fairytale victory over its arch rival.

The previous season the Celtics had the second-worst record in the league and the once-proud organisation which touted legendary players such as Larry Bird, Bill Russell and John Havlicek had not won a championship in a long 22 years.

The signing of NBA stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the struggling franchise helped turn its fortunes around, but 23-year-old Perkins jun, a 2.08m, 120kg centre, also played a part in restoring the club.

He appeared in 78 matches and averaged seven points and six rebounds a game and became the team's starting centre.

"I'm just so proud of him and what he has achieved," Perkins sen said from Boston.

He took part in the team's victory celebrations as a bus crawled through the streets of the city to a ticker-tape parade, with crowds he estimated at 10 deep along the route.

The team also took duck-boat rides around Fenway Park, home of the American baseball champions, the Boston Red Sox.

"I've just been like a kid in a candy store," said Perkins.