The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Kendrick Perkins to shore up an otherwise middling interior defense that threatened dash the team's hopes for a long playoff run. The team against which the Thunder would most fear being assaulted in the paint would be the Los Angeles Lakers, who did just that in a six-game series last spring. L.A. has Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, which frankly is just not fair. So the Thunder went out and got a defensive big man, Kendrick Perkins. Perkins just so happens to have played a substantial role in the Celtics' dressing down Gasol and the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, and was both a huge boon and deficit in the 2010 NBA Finals, as a torn MCL knocked Perkins out of the series before Game 7, which was won by L.A.
Lakers Vs. Thunder: Kendrick Perkins Will Wait To Step Into The Fire In Oklahoma City
So the Thunder has galvanized for a postseason date with the Lakers, using an old Lakers thorn to get there. How about that? If Perkins weren’t out another couple weeks to rehab his knee, we’d have a preview of sorts as the teams meet on Sunday (2:30 PM Eastern, ABC).
The Thunder haven't had Perkins in uniform yet, and won't for a short while; Friday's game against the Orlando Magic, dominated by Dwight Howard, who had 40 points and 15 rebounds, could have used a little Perk, and showed exactly why Oklahoma City needed a player like him so badly. The Thunder are so good almost everywhere else that matter. Kevin Durant is one of the most efficient top scorers in history, and Russell Westbrook basically provides the same level of offense in production and efficiency as Derrick Rose, an MVP candidate. Offense is handled (though some think OKC would be better off with a bit more punch in the post). The Thunder's perimeter defense is solid; Westbrook is out of this world (almost literally), and Thabo Sefolosha can harass most opponents. But the team often gives up huge games to high-powered centers and power forwards, like Howard's Friday performance, and the West has so many great scorers in the frontcourt that a weakness like that is hard to survive.
Perkins is renowned as a tough bully in the paint, a solid shotblocker given his frame and a player who has learned to avoid fouls. He also happens to be one of the best rebounders in the entire league, putting up great percentages despite being surrounded by solid rebounders in Boston.
Sunday’s match-up without Perkins won’t mean a whole lot; some would argue no regular season game does. But the Thunder made a dramatic move to improve, while the Lakers were either content or forced to sit on their hands. Given the obvious target the Thunder have placed on Pau and Bynum, there’s no skirting around it: games like this are exactly why the Thunder traded for Perkins. He won’t be in uniform, but the Lakers have to know the Thunder are gunning for them, which should add a layer of gravity to this one. Let’s rumble.
For Lakers analysis, visit Silver Screen And Roll. For more on Perkins and the Thunder, check out Welcome To Loud City.
