Perk made his first pre-season appearance last night against the Cavs, while it was not the Perk we saw at the end of the season, he was still a Beast.

“I just got a little winded, but I was good,” Perkins said. “Just trying to get my rhythm back. Just happy to be back on the court.”

Here’s Doc’s Take:

“He was just tired,” Rivers said. “It was great because he played hard. Obviously you could see (his) wind affected him. That’s all right. That’s why I left him out there until I thought he was going to pass out. He played like he hadn’t touched people in a while, so he got those two quick fouls.”

As reported in Sunday’s Globe, Perk has returned to the practice floor in Waltham, as noted by Doc and teammates.

“Perk fouled a couple people hard,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “He threw a couple elbows. I saw three or four people grabbing their face and saying, ‘Wow, Perk must be back.’ So that’s what he does. Obviously, he was winded, but I was still impressed with how he got up and down the floor. He looked pretty good.”

And of course the Sensei had his own version:

“It was good because we did one-on-one’s early,” he said. “At first I guarded KG (Kevin Garnett) and he guarded me, and then Baby (Glen Davis), then Leon (Powe) and then Pat (O’Bryant). I wanted to just go out and play the way I normally play. They hit me, and I hit them.”

One more absolutely necessary tid-bit from Doc/Steve Bulpett:

From the coach’s perspective, however, there was just enough good timing at play that the overall team chemistry took an immediate jump.

That’s how good the nightly combination of Perkins and Garnett became last season.

“The one thing Perk adds right now is the know-how,” Rivers said. “Kevin knows exactly where Perk is at all times, and Perk always knows where Kevin is going to be. They have an amazing chemistry.”