Kendrick Perkins’ perimeter prowess
When Thunder center Kendrick Perkins lost 32 pounds last off-season, the primary purpose was to take a load off his recently damaged knees. An added benefit was it made it easier for the 6-foot-10, 265-pound Perkins to defend on the perimeter.
Perkins is a rare bird, a big guy who prides himself on defense, no matter where on the court. He’ll defend monsters like 7-foot, 285-pound Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum. In Monday night’s 95-91 home victory over the world champion Dallas Mavericks, Perkins twice showed he’ll also do all he can to contain assassins like 6-foot-4, 210-pound shooting guard Jason Terry.
The Thunder put the defensive clamps on the Mavericks, holding them scoreless for the final 2:46 while going on an 8-0 run to seal the deal. Leading up to that moment, 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki had caught fire and hit all four of his 3-point attempts. Dallas predictably ran ball-screens in an effort to free up Nowitzki. Rather than help-and-recover, OKC defenders instead switched on screens, which teams frequently do in late-game situations. That left Perkins guarding Terry during two key possessions.
The first sequence had Perkins forcing Terry to drive to his left rather than his preferred right. Terry attempted a hurried, leaning, 15-footer prayer from the left wing than wound up being an airball for a shot-clock violation. The other sequence was along the right baseline, where Terry’s 12-footer barely got to the rim.
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