Getty Images James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder stand on court against the Miami Heat in Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals.
Brooklyn Nets All-Star James Harden is doing the best he can in trying to reshape his image in light of an ugly split with the Houston Rockets and is striving to push the Nets to become a championship team alongside his new star teammates in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
However, the ghost of strippers past caught up with Harden. Almost nine years removed from the 2012 NBA Finals, Harden’s former teammate spilled why he believes James’ poor shooting came at the worst time for the Oklahoma City Thunder when the best-of-7 series against the Miami Heat shifted to Miami.
Kendrick Perkins On James Harden In 2012 NBA Finals: ‘King Of Diamonds And Everything Cut A Whole In His Hands’
For former teammate and current NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, who recently joined the All The Smoke podcast alongside former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, there was a particular adult entertainment venue that was to blame for Harden’s poor shooting in Game 3 through Game 5 of the Finals.
“Man, James ain’t give us sh— and you know why,” Perkins said to Jackson and Barnes. “Mother (expletive) King of Diamonds and everything cut a hole in his hands.”
Miami’s King of Diamonds nightclub is one of the most popular venues for celebrities and professional athletes, alike. Perkins added that playing in Miami posed a problem for Harden’s focus.
Unlike the Spurs – who the Thunder defeated in the Western Conference finals that year to punch its ticket to the NBA Finals – Miami is a vastly different city compared to San Antonio, Texas.
“In San Antonio, you didn’t have a damn thing to do,” Perkins added. “Shit, we got to mother (expletive) Miami, it was every-mother-(expletive)-thing to do. We couldn’t get that mother (expletive) to buy a bucket in that mother (expletive).”
Throughout that postseason, Harden was a tremendous weapon off the bench – a vital piece for the Thunder’s deep run to the NBA Finals. In only his third NBA season, he averaged 16.3 points while shooting 43.5% from the floor, including 41% from deep to go with his 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
Harden even earned the 2012 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. However, in the NBA Finals, throughout the three games played in Miami, those numbers dipped to 12 points on a 29% shooting clip and 1.6 assists per game. And defensively, Harden failed to record a single steal in all three games, in Miami.
Kendrick Perkins On 2012 Thunder: ‘They Had Acted Like We Won A Championship’
After tying the best-of-7 in Game 2, the Heat capitalized on the momentum shift in a big way – by winning three straight to capture Miami’s second title in eight years, and LeBron James’ first NBA championship.
“It was different and I saw it because after we won the Conference finals, I saw the energy in everybody and they had acted like we won the championship,” Perkins said. “You expect that from young guys but I’m like ‘we got these mother (expletives) over here waiting on us, who are waiting for their first title run with a veteran team of Mike Miller, James Jones’ – guys that are chasing some hardware. We ended up getting Game 1, they got Game 2 but when we went to Miami we could not get a win to save our lives.
“Russ and KD came to play, I had a couple of double-doubles, Serge (Ibaka) was good but man, James (Harden) aint give us (expletive) and you know why.”
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