Kendrick Perkins is well-known for his takes aging poorly, but this Indiana Pacers comment could be his worst one yet.
The Indiana Pacers forced the Oklahoma City Thunder to the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals in nine years. It was a brilliant outing from the underdog Pacers, who obliterated the Thunder in Game 6.
Pascal Siakam was the Pacers’ leading man, scoring 16 points in the win.
In a game where Tyrese Haliburton was a doubt to play, Siakam delivered an excellent outing.
For all the talk of their strong offensive performance, it was the Pacers’ defense that made history, holding the Thunder to the longest scoring drought in an NBA Finals game ever.
The Pacers shut down Jalen Williams in the most effective way possible, while also forcing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into several mistakes.
Their outing in Game 6 was emblematic of why the Indiana Pacers are always a dangerous team. But not everyone believed in their ability to succeed at the start of the season.
At the start of the NBA season, several analysts attempted to predict how the season would unfold. When it came to the Indiana Pacers, it was Kendrick Perkins who had the boldest claim.
He stated that after their 2024 Eastern Conference Finals run, the Indiana Pacers would regress, and they wouldn’t even reach the playoffs at all.
“I strongly believe that the Pacers are going to fall off like no limit… They’re not going to make the playoffs this season. I’m not high on them.”
One of the reasons he gave for their impending failure was the lack of work he had seen from Tyrese Haliburton in the offseason, compared to some of the NBA’s other rising young stars.
“I don’t know if [Tyrese Haliburton] has necessarily been putting in the work that he needs to put in. When you’re watching the other young guys around the league, from Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, those guys look like they’ve been working.”
It’s easy to look back on Kendrick Perkins’ take in late October last year and poke fun at how things have turned out.
But to be fair to the former NBA champion, he was looking like a clairvoyant after the Pacers’ atrocious start to the season.
| Period of the 2024 NBA Season | Indiana Pacers record |
| October – December | 16-18 |
| January – April | 34-14 |
It wasn’t until January that the Indiana Pacers addressed their performance issues and started performing better.
Now, as we reach the end of the season ahead of a crucial Game 7 tomorrow night, the Indiana Pacers have proven him wrong in a spectacular way, reaching the NBA Finals despite being underdogs.
Heading into Game 7, the Pacers will have one goal in mind: somehow topple the Oklahoma City Thunder and win the NBA championship for the first time in franchise history.
