Former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins revealed on “The Old Man & the Three Podcast with JJ Redick” his fear of LeBron James. He secretly wished that James tore his ACL during practice before Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals on May 18.
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As a former teammate, Perkins has a lot of respect for James. During the podcast, however, he admitted that the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar scared him and wished James an injury during practice before Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Perkins admits his fear of James
After losing Game 6 to the Cavaliers, in which James scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, the Boston’s starting center doubted their chances in Game 7 unless James could not play.
“I got a confession. We played the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008 and it was a Game 7 right. We had just lost Game 6 and I ain’t gonna lie man, I was scared as hell going into that Game 7 against LeBron James,” said Perkins, recalling that moment on the podcast.
“This was the only time that I actually prayed that something happened to him at practice. I was like let us get breaking news that LeBron has tore his ACL or something.”
Redick then jumped in, saying that part of the podcast would have to be edited. But Perkins insisted on keeping it. Perkins immediately said, “No, no, you can’t edit this out. This is real. That’s how terrified I was of LeBron.”
The dunking on Kevin Garnett made Perkins terrified of James. It was at that point that Perkins realized they were not going to be able to pass James.
Despite Garnett being one of the best defensive forwards on the court, LeBron would instill fear into anyone just by dunking. Perkins’ fear of James is therefore not surprising.
During the year 2008, James was at the top of his game. The dunk on Garnett was one of the fiercest dunks people have ever witnessed in the NBA. In that Game 7, James scored 45 points against the Celtics, the only Cavalier to score double digits. Even so, the Celtics still won.
James couldn’t beat the Celtics and their Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. In 2010, he formed his own Big 3 with the Miami Heat. Eventually, Perkins and James were teammates in the Cavaliers in 2015, though Perkins remained silent about his 2008 wish throughout their time together.
Fierce battle: LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce
James and the Celtics went head to head in Game 7 On May 18, 2008. It was a matchup between the four-time champ and the newly created Celtics superteam.
Almost matching Delonte West’s 15 points in the game, James scored 22 in the second half, including 13 in the fourth. Having talked trash to each other in each other’s ears and throwing shots after shots, he and Pierce came prepared for a fight. The two scored 45 points and added six assists, with Pierce having 41 points and five assists.
The Celtics’ Big 3 proved too much for James despite his heroic effort. The game ended in a 97-92 loss for the Cavaliers. In the NBA Finals, the Celtics defeated Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in six games to win their 17th title.