BOSTON –– Atlanta guard Mike Bibby called Boston center Kendrick Perkins “soft” after Perkins said Bibby had no business calling Boston fans “fair-weather fans” and “bandwagon jumpers” after Game One of their first-round playoff series.

Bibby then added, “… I haven’t really seen [Perkins] do much in his career, so until he does something or shows me something, I really don’t think he should say anything.”

Perkins responded yesterday with his best all-around game of the series, and one of the best all-around games of his career.

Perkins bulled his way to his first playoff double-double, finishing with 10 points and a playoff career-high 10 rebounds, and he also blocked a playoff career-high 5 shots despite not playing in the fourth quarter because the Celtics were in the midst of a 99-65 Game Seven blowout.

“Kendrick was phenomenal,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he set the tone defensively as much as anyone. You know, I thought Kendrick and P.J. Brown, in the stretch he played in the second quarter, was as good as you’re going to get.”

Perkins said he was probably more focused and intense last night than in any game he has played in his five-year NBA career.

“It was win or go home, so you either leave it all out on the court or go home,” Perkins said.

Perkins said he wanted to help set the tone of yesterday’s game early by taking his game to another level.

“I just felt like I would come out and set the tone and leave it all out on the court,” Perkins said. “I think my teammates were feeding off of me. I thought I came in with great focus, and I wasn’t trying to go home.”

Perkins helped Boston open up a 27-16 first-quarter lead by scoring eight points, on 3-for-4 shooting, and pulling down six rebounds, with two blocks, in the first quarter.

The eight first-quarter points and six rebounds were more points and rebounds than he averaged in the series entering last night’s game (7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds).

“I thought Perk did a great job holding down the post, holding down the middle,” Boston forward Kevin Garnett said. “He blocked a lot of shots today and was active.”

Perkins dominated Atlanta forward Al Horford at both ends of the court. He helped limit Horford to four points, on 2-for-8 shooting, through the first three quarters. Perkins did not play in the fourth quarter. Horford finished with 8 points and 12 rebounds in nearly 44 minutes.

“I was alert, and I thought I did a good job of blocking shots tonight and I just thought my intensity was up,” Perkins said. “I just have to bring that every game.”

Perkins scored Boston’s first basket of the game on a put-back layup that cut Atlanta’s lead to 3-2 in the game’s first minute. He then connected on a 7-foot fade-away jumper 4:45 into the game that gave the Celtics a 10-5 lead. With Atlanta trying to mount a comeback, Perkins made two free throws that extended Boston’s advantage to 18-10, and he capped his remarkable first quarter by sinking a reverse layup with 1:28 remaining that gave Boston a 22-13 lead.

“He came out and set the tone early — defensively, offensively, loose balls, rebounds and blocked shots,” Brown said of Perkins. Perkins sat out most of the second quarter and did not score again until late in the third period, on a slam-dunk.

roblee@projo.com