He only won one championship and averaged 5+5 per game, but he said wildly: The Celtics and Thunder did not reach the finals that year because of my absence.

Since retiring, Kendrick Perkins has become a senior media person, appearing in major basketball programs and media. However, it seems that the constant publicity has made Perkins a little drifting. In addition to making some bold statements many times and criticizing some current players, he also said in a recent interview that he was an indispensable figure for his team when he was a player. His absence was the key reason why the Celtics and Thunder could not enter the finals. These remarks also caused widespread controversy after they were published, and many fans responded fiercely.

Perkins is a player who entered the NBA in the same class as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and other legendary superstars, but he was not selected until the 27th pick in the first round. Although he played in the NBA for 14 seasons, he only averaged 5.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He did help the team win the championship with the Celtics and also played an important role in the Thunder, but such arrogant words made the fans very dissatisfied. Let's take a look. Is Perkins so important to these two teams that they can't make it to the Finals without him?

has played for the Green Army for many years and has occasionally performed well.

First of all, let’s talk about his performance during the Green Army. In terms of his most glorious period, I am afraid it was between 2008 and 2010. In these three seasons, the Celtics reached the highest peak in team history. Not only did they enter the finals twice, but they also won a championship. In the 2009-10 season, Perkins could contribute 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, becoming an inside partner next to Kevin Garnett.

In addition, in the 2009 playoffs, although Garnett was reimbursed for the season, he could output 11.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Although he failed to defend the title and lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals in the tiebreaker, he was worthy of the title of an outstanding blue-collar center at the time. But if it is said that the team cannot enter the playoffs because of the lack of him, then it is completely nonsense.

Since he became a member of the Green Army in 2003, his performance was not good at all. At first, he could not even enter the rotation. It was not until the 2005-06 season that he got some opportunities. Moreover, the Green Army at that time was always failing, and he was more regarded as a member of the failure. Of course, it needs to be acknowledged that he made a certain contribution by reaching the Finals in the 2009-10 season and limiting the Lakers' top three. But in the 10-11 season, he was traded away. The team's Glen Davis, Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal took his place almost perfectly, and finally achieved a record of 56 wins and 26 losses, which was 6 more games won than in the 2009-10 season.

Although it failed again in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it was largely because the team's overall lineup began to age, and the Big Three were no longer as brave as they once were. After all, even if Perkins was still on the team, facing the offensive line composed of James and Wade at their peak, he might not be able to stop the Heat's progress. Not to mention, in the 12 games he played for the Celtics in the 10-11 season, he averaged only 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The aging O'Neal could also score 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, and his overall performance was no worse than him.

During the Thunder period, there was a significant decline and he was quickly replaced by the back.

Let’s talk about Perkins’ performance after joining the Thunder. The 11-12 season was his first full Thunder season. Due to the shortage of team personnel, especially inside positions, he did play a certain role. Averaged 5.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, which is worthy of the team's expectations of him. This year was the only season in which the Thunder reached the finals except for the 24-25 season.

But in this year's playoffs, Perkins was completely unable to provide the contribution he thought he would, averaging only 4.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. The Thunder's ability to break out of the Western Conference mainly relies on the crazy impact of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, plus James Harden, who has gradually grown and become the best sixth man, and Serge Ibaka, who quickly showed his talent. They have just broken the Spurs' dominance. And don't forget that in this year's finals, except for 10 points and 12 rebounds in the third game, Perkins had no outstanding performance at all. There is no doubt about this.

After this season, he played for the Thunder for three and a half seasons. Although the Thunder have maintained a good lineup and strength in recent years, they have repeatedly suffered setbacks in the Western Conference. This has nothing to do with Perkins. In the 12-13 season, as the top team in the Western Conference, they fell early in the Western Conference semifinals, mainly because Westbrook was reimbursed for the season due to a vicious foul by Patrick Beverley. You must know that Westbrook averaged 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game this year. If it were not for Westbrook's absence, perhaps the Thunder and Heat would meet again in the finals.

In the 13-14 season, when he faced the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, he was completely restricted by Tim Duncan. He only scored 13 points and 37 rebounds in a total of 6 games. If he was really as important as he said, then Ibaka would not have to risk the end of his career and play in this series with injury. After that, Perkins was traded by the team and almost faded out of the NBA in less than 2 years. Therefore, these remarks of his are unfounded and are completely a laughing stock in the eyes of the fans.