Luke Kornet made a big impact in Game 1 against Cleveland, highlighted by some impressive barking after grabbing an offensive rebound
We'll get into Luke Kornet's strong performance off the bench shortly. But first, we need to talk about the bark.
Late in the second quarter of the Boston Celtics' Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden on Tuesday, Kornet corralled an offensive rebound over multiple defenders and drew a foul -- then proceeded to bark at the Celtics' bench in celebration.
Kornet has busted out some incredible celebrations in Boston, but this was some new material. So, NBC Sports Boston's Brian Scalabrine had to ask the C's big man about his bark on Celtics Postgame Live after the game. The back-and-forth didn't disappoint.
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Check out Kornet's bark and his exchange with Scal in the video player above.
Scalabrine: "Luke, I want you to analyze two things for me: one, my bark and then two, your bark. So my bark is, 'Roo roo roo roo roo!' And I want you to analyze your bark and compare the two."
Kornet: "I think in terms of nature and tone, those are pretty similar barks. Mine's similar, "Ah roo roo roo roo,' like a little more, 'Roo roo roo.' But I get some good practice at home reading some kid's books. There's quite a lot of dog barking. So, honestly, shout-out to the kids for that one."
When asked later what dog he was trying to emulate, Kornet defaulted to a beagle -- "We had one growing up," he explained -- but reserved the right to change his answer.
"Those are pretty lazy dogs," Kornet added. "They’re kind of more howlers, I guess. I don’t know. I’ll have to analyze more barks."
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Kornet's interviews have been pure entertainment all season, but the Celtics may need more from him on the court in this second-round series with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined due to a calf injury. And on Tuesday night, he showed some bite along with that bark.
The seven-year veteran pulled down 10 rebounds (including a game-high six offensive boards) in 21 strong minutes off the bench, adding four points, two assists and a pair of blocks to finish as a plus-12 in Boston's 120-95 blowout win.
"I thought Luke was exceptional,” Celtics wing Jaylen Brown said after the game. “When he came in, he was great. He came in and added value to the second group. He contested shots at the rim, he rebounded and he made timely plays on offense.
"He’s had some injuries up and down, but Luke has been tremendous for our team and brings great energy. We need him to continue to do that, step up, even on the road to and continue to make plays. That’s huge."
Kornet could play a significant role in combatting Cleveland big man Evan Mobley, and center Jarrett Allen if he's able to return from injury. The more solid minutes Kornet can give the Celtics, the lesser the burden on 37-year-old Al Horford while Porzingis remains sidelined.
Kornet's next chance to show that dog in him is Thursday night's Game 2, which tips off at 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden. Tune into NBC Sports Boston at 6 p.m. ET for Celtics Pregame Live.
