Kendrick Perkins out on Miami Heat as Contenders "I Don't Have Them Going Back to the Finals"
The Miami Heat went on a historic run in the NBA playoffs last year, becoming one of just two eight seeds to make the NBA Finals.
Their regular season was from special, but that didn't stop them from taking down the powerhouses of the Eastern Conference.
Now, sitting exactly at the halfway mark of the regular season, the Heat have yet to live up to expectations. This has made some wonder if they can truly contend with teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, or even the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kendrick Perkins Calls the Heat Out for Being Fake Contenders
Despite sitting seven games over .500, Miami is again facing struggles in the regular season. While it could be worse, the sixth seed isn't what you would expect out of the defending conference champions. After Miami's blowout loss to the Pascal Siakam-less Toronto Raptors, Kendrick Perkins made some accusations about the Heat on NBA Today.
"I just can't put them (the Heat) ahead of the Celtics in a seven-game series," Perkins said. "I feel like the Celtics would get their lick back. I feel like Philly is better than them if they happen to match up in a seven-game series... Just those two teams alone, I gotta say I don't think they'll repeat as conference champions... Those two teams got better."
While Perkins does have a point about teams getting better, he is discounting Jimmy Butler's level of play in the playoffs. There is a drastic difference in his level of play in the postseason as opposed to the regular season.
Butler led the Heat to a first-round series victory against the Milwaukee Bucks in just five games, averaging 37 points, six rebounds and 4.9 assists. These numbers are simply otherworldly, especially for a player who averaged 22.9 points in the regular season.
Should the Heat be Worried?
As previously mentioned, Perkins does have some point in what he said. The Eastern Conference has gotten better and is much tougher this postseason. Boston is having an unbelievable start to their year, sitting with a 32-9 record. Even the Indiana Pacers are potential contenders with their trade for Siakam.
Even so, the Heat are still a good basketball team. While they've had an inconsistent start, they have the second half of the season to figure their issues out.
Hunter Simpson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at huntersimp32@gmail.com
