Kendrick Perkins bold-prediction to Knicks vs. Celtics in Game 6: “Jalen Brunson wins series”

Kendrick Perkins bold-prediction to Knicks vs. Celtics in Game 6: “Jalen Brunson wins series”

Celtics avoid elimination. Obviously, there’s no replacing JT and what he does for us, but we believe in the guys we got. White lacing in a triple. The threes are falling again for Boston. Reject to cornet out here looking like Elijah won. Boston without their star really showing up. And Boston has won to play another day facing elimination. I know it’s easy to kind of write things off, but we still got basketball to be played. Don’t count us out just yet. Big look out of Mr. Brown there. And we got Mr. Perkins back here with us to talk about this. Celtics Knicks game six tomorrow at MSG. So Perk, what do the Knicks need to do to finally close this out against the Celtics? Well, we look, we know what Big Body Bronson is going to do, right? We know he’s going to perform and and and step up in great fashion. I’m looking at the other two guys. I’m looking at Carl Anthony Towns, right? And I’m looking at him. Tomorrow is a moment for Carl Anthony Towns to become a nick, right? Impose his will in that low block area. The the uh Boston Celtics are disrespecting him by putting Drew Holiday, uh, you know, smaller guys on him. I’m looking for Carl Anthony Towns to go in there and dominate tomorrow. He still had he still hasn’t had one of those signature moments. And when I look at OG Noi, I’m looking at a guy that’s one of the best three indeed guys in the league. Did you see what Jaylen Brown did to Jaylen Brunson? Not only was he what? Not only was he the point forward, the best player on the floor, scoring the ball, rebounding the ball, getting others involved, but he was guarding Jaylen Brunson from the tip, the start of the game, picking him up full court. I don’t care if OG Noi don’t score a bucket. His main goal is to shut down Jaylen Brown. If he come in with that mentality and say, “I’m about to put the clamps on Jaylen Brown, the Knicks will win in great fashion.” I believe the Knicks is going to close this series out uh in Madison Square Garden tomorrow. But it’s not going to be easy. The heart of the champions, they’re going to continue to compete. Luke Carnett, man, what a game from him in game five. But this is not going to be easy for the Knicks, but I believe they’re going to close it out at home. Okay, so the Celtics facing elimination, the Thunder facing elimination, the Cavs are already out. I’m kind of losing the narrative here. Per Who’s the favorite at this point in the postseason? Give me some. It’s hard. I I’m trying to I’m trying to give me time. Look, I like I don’t want to disrespect the Indiana Pacers. They like that they they they have a great ball club, well coached, agender-free basketball. The Knicks obviously if they advance or when they advance, they play good basketball and and but I’m looking at the Minnesota Timberwolves and the way that Anthony Edwards is leading. the way that Anthony Edwards is growing right in front of our eyes as a as as a as a great floor general, getting guys involved, trusting the others, and all it’s doing is keeping the defense honest, right? So, now all of a sudden, we seeing the Julius Randall play with a a high level of confidence, some of the best basketball that he’s played in his career. We we’re watching a guy and Mike Connley knock down some shots. Jay McDaniels, Rudy is getting double doubles. And I just think it’s a matter of time before Anthony Edwards just level up and take his game to another level. Right now, I’m looking at the Minnesota Timberwolves. I got to give them a slight edge. How about uh they just outplayed us in the second half. You know, they were sharper, executed better, made more plays. So, you know, credit them. They went and got the game. Mark, how how relevant did you feel the close to the first half was at all to to what happened in the second half? Say that again. Living, did you feel the close to the first half was to to what had all transpired in the second half? Um, we didn’t close the first half great, but you know, when halftime ends, you get 24 minutes to go play your best regardless of what just happened. So, um, you know, we had that opportunity, so do they. They outplayed us in the second half. And I believe Shay, Hardenstein, and Jay Will all got their third foul like almost in succession. Like, what did you feel changed when it happened? And and do you feel that sort of had a larger impact on on the way things played out in the game? Um I mean it obviously impacted uh substitutions, you know, trying to manage that a little bit which isn’t out of the ordinary. Um they all ended, you know, without fouling out. So they were able to manage it in the game. Um I was a little bit conscious of it obviously at the end of the first to get Shay there with four. Um but otherwise, you know, again, you know, we had the same opportunity Denver did in the second half and they outplayed us. All right, let’s see how it broke down. Game six at altitude. Thunder and Nuggets. OKC trying to close this thing down. Joic and Murray not going to let that happen. Murray again questionable with the illness, but he played and played really well. That’s pretty MJ flu game. Maybe not, but but a really nice game. 25 points. Pretty stout from Jamal Murray. Later in the first with the Nuggets up 10, the turnover. Thunder. So good at cashing at the other end. Casey Wallace beats everyone down four. And then Russell Westbrook. Another turnover. Again, we push. This time it’s Jaylen Williams, the other Jaylen Williams with the crunch. Murray soaking it up over there. So OKC closes out the first quarter on an 8-1 run and then they keep it going in quarter two. SGA for three. Thunder up by eight. And then big play here. SGA gets stripped by Joic and frustration foul. That’s four on Gilis Alexander. First time with four fouls in the first half in his postseason career. And then the Nuggets finish the half on a roll. Murray lays it in. Next Nuggets possession. Christian Brown, he was huge. He had 23. So it was a Thunder three-point lead at halftime. Third quarter. SGA tries it. No. Chad Hongren. No. Joic with the block. And now it’s Denver running. And Murray at the other end. Nuggets by five. Then kind of a cult hero tonight. Julian Strather, as Nicole mentioned, had 17 points in the entire postseason before tonight, but came in with 15 points on the night, all in the second half. Look at that. Just catch, turn, and put it on in. Nuggets up eight heading into the fourth in that fourth quarter. Joic first three he took all night and he knocks it down. Nuggets up by 12. It’s winning time. Joic floats it home. 29 points, 14 rebounds for the big fella. Also had eight assists. And this is a pretty pretty dime right here. Not looking, slings it to Brown inside. Joic and Murray each with 20 points, five boards, and five assists in the same game for the 20th time in the postseason. And Denver celebrates a game six victory. 119 107 the final. We get more basketball out of this series Sunday back in Oklahoma. All right, so take a look. The first two series of the postseason went seven games in the last 15 years. Yeah, the Nuggets are are working to to survive and advance in this postseason Clippers series. That was a brutal seven game set and here they are back in the seventh game against the Thunder in what has been a highly entertaining series. All right, so we got our man Mr. Perkins back with us. Uh, Perk, give me a key for each team in game seven. The key is for the Thunder is who’s going to be that second guy, right? And I’m looking at Jaylen Williams. I’m talking about Jay Dub because it’s two of them. Uh, what is he going to do? We know SGA is going to rise to the occasion. He’s going to walk out of that game seven with 30 plus points. But like you look at tonight, I believe it was what Jaylen Williams shot three for 16 from the field. that can’t happen, right? You need your Robin to be able to step up. Um, and that’s what I’m looking at when I look when I when I when I’m looking at game seven for Oklahoma City. Uh, for the Nuggets is can your role players uh produce on the road. Christian Brown, Christian Brown had an excellent night tonight. Uh, was huge. You had the one the uh young fella Straer come in off the bench. He was huge. We know role players play better at home, but can they carry over and and can they compete and and play at that level on the road? And also, I said this before the game started, I still believe and even going into game seven. The X factor in this series is Aaron Gordon. Two of the games that the Denver Nuggets have has won, he scored over 20 points and they won. And I just think, you know, when he’s on, the Nuggets are hard to beat with him and a combination of Jokic. So, I’m keeping an eye on Aaron Gordon for the Denver Nuggets. And I’m also keeping an eye eye out on Jaylen Williams to see if Robin is going to support his Batman in SGA at the crib in game seven when it matters the most. We saw Aaron Gordon grabbing at his hamstring late in the game. Not sure if that was anything at all, but he he was going for it. So, we’ll see how that plays into uh the game seven.

ESPN SC | Kendrick Perkins bold-prediction to Knicks vs. Celtics in Game 6: “Jalen Brunson wins series”