Kendrick Perkins believes Oklahoma City Thunder are close to winning a NBA Championship
Back in June 2010, the Boston Celtics were adamant that they would have won the NBA finals, had their centre Kendrick Perkins not got injured in the game-7 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Nearly seven months later however, they traded Perkins to Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC), much to the ire of both the fans and the players.
The C’s were never the same after that.
OKC though, got the much needed toughness on the D and as the season progressed, they got better and eventually made their way to the Western Conference Finals.
They lost out to the eventual champions Dallas Mavericks that time, but centre Kendrick Perkins has every confidence that Thunder will win it all very soon. The centre has previous experience of winning the NBA title. He was on the Boston Celtics team that won the NBA Championship back in 2008, with the star trio of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce leading the way.
Perkins says he is witnessing signs of greatness in this young roster.
“We just lacked a little experience this year,” Perkins said according to News OK. “We're very close. We just have to stay (humble) and keep on with the hard work. The sky is the limit.”
OKC exceeded all expectations last year with their run in the playoffs. The side beat off strong competition to reach the Western Conference Finals for only the first time since the franchise moved from Seattle.
Perkins singled out star duo Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as two of the outstanding players on the Thunder roster.
“We have a big scorer in Kevin Durant. We have an All-Star in Russell (Westbrook). As long as guys keep working and staying together, we'll be good.”
Durant is a two time NBA scoring champion while Westbrook is one of the most talented point guards in the game today. Both are young and can only get better with time, but OKC are not just about these too.
Perkins himself is a former NBA Champion and, at least defensively, one of the premier centres in the game. His partner upfront, Serge Ibaka, is an up and coming young star who has won the EuroBasket tournament with Spain this summer. The Thunder also have talent to burn on the bench with Nick Collison, James Harden and Eric Maynor.
The future does look bright for OKC and Perkins is excited to be a part of it. He has had trouble with his knees over the last couple of years, but has put in the hours over the summer and looks ready to go already.
“I've been working hard this summer,” Perkins said. “They feel great. I'm definitely going to try to get back to my early stages before getting hurt. I'll be playing without my (knee) braces. I'm excited to get back out on the court.”
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