Did Thunder switch James Harden, in part, because he celebrated so much during the 2012 NBA finals?
This theory gained momentum when the details of Harden’s habits with the Rockets surfaced. He gains even more credibility as Kendrick Perkins – who played with Harden on that Oklahoma City team – describes the situation.
The Thunder – with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka – won the Spurs in the Western Conference finals and then the Heat in Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But Thunder missed the next four games, including the final three games in the series in Miami.
Perkins in “All The Smoke“:
Russ and KD came to play. I had a double couple. Serge was doing great. But, man, James isn’t bothering us. And do you know why. The son of a bitch King of Diamonds and everything else opened a hole in his hands.
In San Antonio, he had absolutely nothing to do. Shit, we got to the motherfucker in Miami, shit, that was all you could do. We couldn’t get that son of a bitch to buy a bucket from that son of a bitch.
In Miami, he was unable to rest. The son of a bitch came out every fucking night.
Whether I need it or not, this is an unusually harsh and revealing assessment from a former teammate. Usually, former teammates are more protective of each other. Perkins clearly does not follow this.
Harden fought in the finals. Was it because he spent so much time at a Miami strip club? Perhaps. But Harden enjoyed the nightlife while still producing at a high level on the courts throughout his career. Sometimes, players just have bad games.
For what it’s worth, Perkins wasn’t as good in the finals as he hinted. He had two double-doubles in the sense that he had a double-double in game 3 and a double-double in the other four games combined (badly). The Heat exploring Perkins’ limitations is one of the main reasons why they won.
Harden’s fight didn’t help Oklahoma City either. How Udonis Haslem – the only Miami player in 2012 still on the team – apparently remembers.