Kendrick Perkins believes the OKC Thunder will prove a lot of critics wrong this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder got a big win last night, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-123. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added to his MVP case with a 38-point outing.
Lu Dort, who believes he should win the Defensive Player of the Year award, had a quiet game by his standards.
SGA is having an outstanding season this year, averaging 32.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.1 rebounds. However, Aaron Gordon isn’t impressed, arguing Nikola Jokic should win the MVP instead.
One person who was very impressed with the Oklahoma City Thunder was Kendrick Perkins. In fact, the former Thunder player warned NBA fans and critics about their season.
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Speaking on NBA Today, Kendrick Perkins backed the Oklahoma City Thunder to reach the NBA Finals. In fact, he told fans and critics that betting against them is a guaranteed loss.
Perk added that players like Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren are playing great basketball. But their defense is what puts them over the top as the best team in the league.
“Whoever don’t feel OKC, I feel sorry for your loss, because they’re going to the NBA Finals. This team checks all the boxes.”
“They have SGA, a bonafide superstar, who can be the best player in any seven-game series, against any other player in the league. They strap up defensively. They’re the number-one defensive team in the league.”
“Chet Holmgren just got back. By April, he is going to be back to what we saw at the beginning of the season… They have the depth…”
“People need to start watching these games… I played for the Thunder. I know what that building feels like, how electrifying it gets. That’s what you’re going to need.”
Perkins is confident about the OKC Thunder’s chances this season. And why shouldn’t he be, given how well they have played this year? The Thunder have a strong chance of winning it all this year.
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The OKC Thunder have the support of Kendrick Perkins and a few other analysts in the NBA media sphere. However, not everyone is so confident about their chances.
Nick Wright believes that the Thunder will perform well in the regular season, but collapse come playoff time.
Shannon Sharpe was so impressed with the Lakers landing Luka Doncic that he challenged the Thunder to meet them in the playoffs.
These doubts are not unfounded, as the Thunder were the first seed last season as well, but were shockingly outmatched by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round last year.
Will the experience from last season help them overcome the hurdles and return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years? We will have to wait till June to answer that question.
