The Dallas Mavericks are just one step away from closing the playoffs round one against the LA Clippers. After the Game 4 loss, the Mavs bounced back to register a thunderous 30-point win in Game 5. However, not a lot of people believed that the Mavs would come back with a win, especially since Luka Doncic was reeling with a right knee sprain. Being a Mavs purist, Kendrick Perkins kept his hopes alive and is now in celebration mode as the Dallas franchise took a 3-2 lead.
Before the Game 5 tipoff, the Mavericks fans were hit with concerning news regarding Luka Doncic’s health. They wondered if he’d play the game, with the guard’s name appearing on the injury report. However, Perkins never bought into, what he believed was a trick, for a second and posted on X,
“Y’all can get fooled by that Luka is sick and not feeling well BS. That man about to try and go at the Clippers neck tonight.”
Sure enough, Luka was at his absolute best in the game as he closed it with 35 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists. Since he, pretty much, predicted the thrashing, Perkins pulled out a five-month-old belting clip to celebrate the Mavs win. The original clip was also posted to commemorate the Mavericks’ win over the Clippers in the IST. At the time, Luka and Co. beat the Clippers 144-126 with the Slovenian putting up 44 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal.
He also shot 81% from the field, 66.7% from deep, and 100% from the free throw line. Compare those numbers to the last game, Luka shot 53.8% from the field, 25% from the three-point line, and 100% from the free throw line.
It’s only fair that Perkins brought up the old clip from the Toyota Halftime show on ESPN of him belting a chair to demonstrate what Luka did to the Clippers. Based on the stats, and how the Mavericks started with a little mental warfare, Perkins’ belting analogy perfectly fits the script. He is especially moved by Kyrie’s showing in the playoffs, exploding when the team wants.
Kendrick Perkins is a fan of Kyrie Irving’s leadership
Perkins isn’t the easiest to please, however, it seems like the Mavericks have left quite an impression on the NBA veteran. After praising Luka’s onslaught on the Clippers, Perkins took a moment to acknowledge Kyrie Irving’s leadership qualities. He was impressed by Kyrie’s presence even when he was not on the court. He was actively involved, guiding his teammates to execute a better defensive play. He wrote,
Uncle Drew has been brilliant for the Mavs so far, this season. Now in the post-season, he is averaging 25.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 50% from the field, 42.5% from the three-point line, and 90.9% from the free throw line. Perkins has all the reasons to back the Mavs given their recent showing. They would hope to take the series in next game and prepare for the next round.
