The Thunder got exactly what they wanted in wrestling Kendrick Perkins from Boston at the NBA trade deadline back in February. How else were they going to succeed when they faced the Lakers’ length again in the playoffs?
How about a different question: Could it be that shrewd, savvy Oklahoma City got ahead of itself?
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Memphis forward Zach Randolph did whatever he wanted against the Thunder on the way to a career playoff-high 34 points in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series and then called out Perkins afterward, telling FoxSports.com: “The best thing about his defense on me is to foul me. … He can’t [stop me]. He’s too slow. He’s a big body. He can foul.”
It was touching to see Perkins cry about leaving the Celtics. But unless the Thunder figure out how to stop the 6-foot-9 Randolph, he might find himself doing that and the same thing he did last year by the end of the finals: watching. But this time it will be because his team isn’t there.
