It’s one thing not to buy stock in an NBA team’s chances at a title run, but it’s another to believe a team peaking at the end of the year is “too late” to make noise in the postseason. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins’s recent argument against the Golden State Warriors being a legitimate contender received some fair pushback for that reason and a few others.
When asked if the Warriors were back as true contenders, Perkins didn’t flinch with his response.
“Hell no, hell no. They’re too late to the party … they didn’t get the VIP wristbands and they can’t get in,” Perkins said on ESPN’s First Take. “Here’s the problem, right? Are they playing some exceptional basketball right now? Yes, they are. But they’re playing catch-up from where they started at the beginning of the season.”
"Hell no! They're too late to the party. They didn't get the VIP wrist bands and they can't get in."
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 7, 2024
—@KendrickPerkins on if the Warriors are a legitimate title contender pic.twitter.com/E9e7jGqZMR
Perkins then praised Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski but said there’d be “growing pains” because the playbook will be bigger in the playoffs. He also argued that Golden State wouldn’t defeat the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in the postseason.
It’s fair to argue that the Warriors aren’t a better team currently than the Nuggets or Clippers, but to knock Stephen Curry and company for being hot at the right time (the end of the season) feels way off base. The comments from Perkins come after the Warriors dominated the Milwaukee Bucks 125–99 on Wednesday night, moving them to 33-28 on the season.
Arguably, the most important aspect of Golden State’s push for playoff positioning is that they’re only 3 1/2 games out of the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference and 2 1/2 out of the No. 6 seed. Due to how close the playoff race is from seeds 5–10 in the West, it’s fair to argue that any of those teams peaking right now are doing so at the best time possible.
