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Longtime NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins takes a shot at Q&A before the season tips off this week.
Q: Who are the biggest threats to the Knicks?
A: The East has caught up with the West. You have the 76ers, obviously, you have the Toronto Raptors, you have Giannis [Antetokounmpo] with Miami, I think they’re still a few pieces away. But to me, if I had to pick one, it would be the 76ers. Nick Nurse won a championship [as coach of the Raptors in 2019]. Nick Nurse had to figure how pieces worked when he was in Toronto. And when you have guys that have high IQs — Jaylen Brown is a Finals MVP, LeBron James is [not just] arguably the greatest player but one of the smartest players to play the game of basketball. That’s not going to be a hard adjustment. … Offensively I see them getting out and running. I could see them being probably the best transition team offensively in the league. But I also could see them figuring things out on the fly while they’re still winning games during the regular season. And I also see LeBron James bringing out the best in Joel Embiid.
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Q: So do you think the Sixers are the biggest threat to the Knicks?
A: I do.
Q: Do you think they could overtake the Knicks?
A: I do.
Q: Is there another threat in the East?
A: I’m ready to see what Indiana looks like with their new center Ivica Zubac, I believe he’s a top 10 big in the league. Can they pick up where they left off two years ago?
Q: How about the Raptors?
A: I feel like Kawhi Leonard is the most feared, most dangerous player in the East. He’s a guy that’s going to bring out a different version of Scottie Barnes. They’re well-coached. They’re going to play with an edge defensively. They’re going to play nasty defensively. They’re going to play with a lot of physicality. And now he’s back home where he won a championship and where he wants to be at. They’re my darkhorse to come out of the East and win it all.
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Q: The Cavaliers?
A: We saw the Knicks snatch their souls in a conference finals and they never recovered. I got to see that they have the heart to get it done.
Kendrick Perkins is seen prior to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kendrick-perkins-tells-post-mike-182224963.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-17 18:22:00
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