A former NBA champion said the Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder series is already over after Game 3, pointing to LeBron James' body language as a sign of frustration. He also said OKC has exposed the Lakers' roster weaknesses in a dominant playoff run.
The Los Angeles Lakers are facing more pressure than ever after another heavy loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the series now looking out of reach for the Purple and Gold.
After OKC's 131-108 win in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins delivered a strong take on the matchup, saying the series is already decided.
"Look, the Lakers just don't stand a chance. They don't match up to the champs," Perkins said during his postgame breakdown. "This series is over. You saw LeBron James' body language. He can kill this, and he's trying not to stretch himself out."
Perkins said the Thunder are not just winning, but fully exposing the Lakers on both ends of the floor. In his view, Oklahoma City has been targeting weak matchups and forcing Los Angeles into constant defensive problems.
"What happened was they got exposed, right? They got exposed from a personnel standpoint," he added. "It showed that the Lakers are just not athletic enough to keep up with these top dogs in the league, especially Austin Reaves. He was picked on time and time again defensively."
One of the main talking points from Game 3 was how often OKC attacked Austin Reaves in pick-and-roll situations.
The Lakers guard finished with 17 points and nine assists, but his minus-23 plus-minus showed how much trouble he had staying in front of Oklahoma City's ball handlers.
The Thunder kept going at him throughout the game, with Ajay Mitchell leading the charge. Mitchell exploded for a career playoff-high 24 points, constantly putting pressure on the Lakers defense.
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