Kendrick Perkins says Oklahoma City Thunder are ready to take on the mighty Miami Heat – NBA Update
Kendrick Perkins was brought in the Oklahoma City Thunder to add that much needed toughness in the frontcourt last season, and sixteen months later, the Thunder stand at the verge of winning their first NBA championship.
It will be unfair to say that this has been all due to Perkins and his mentality, but when the competition reaches its deepest end, it is the little things that matter the most and Perkins has been able to create those minor differences.
Winner of the NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics back in 2008 and a veteran of two NBA Finals, Perkins is now confident that his team has what it takes to win it all.
Talking to the reporters on Monday, a day before OKC play the Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, he said;
“I think as far as the team goes, we have one of the hardest playoff schedules this year, having to go through the Dallas Mavericks, the (Los Angeles) Lakers, the (San Antonio) Spurs, and now having to face the Heat,” he said.
“There really weren’t any free rides this year during the playoffs. I think we're battle tested, so I think we'll step up to the plate.”
Oklahoma City have had a miracle run enroute the NBA Finals. In the first three rounds of the post season, they took down three teams who have won 10 of the last 13 championships. There were times, especially against the red hot
Spurs, that they could have thrown in the towel, but such was the spirit in Scott Brooks’ team that it kept on fighting and eventually conquered the West.
Thunder now stand on the cusp of starting their legacy and four games are only what stand between them and glory.
To their advantage, OKC will start the series with a home court advantage and considering that they are yet to lose a home game in the playoffs so far, that can prove to be a pivotal in the eventual outcome.
Perkins admitted that having the home court advantage to start the series was good;
“It's always good when you're at home, “he said. “I think our fans give us a lot of energy, a lot of confidence, including myself, let alone the other guys on the team. It gives myself a lot of confidence. We do have the best fans
in the world.”
However he was quick to shrug off any sense of complacency because of that.
“It's the first team to four wins that actually wins the series, so you can't walk in here and think we've got home court advantage so we're going to win the series. The home court advantage team lost in The Finals last year.”
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