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“I did not want LeBron James to play game 7, at any cost!”: Kendrick Perkins admits to praying for a “one-game only” downfall of the King during the 2008 playoffs

Arun Sharma
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"I did not want LeBron James to play game 7, at any cost!": Kendrick Perkins admits to praying for a "one-game only" downfall of the King during the 2008 playoffs

Cleveland LeBron James – a phrase that strikes fear into two sections of sports fans – Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.

LeBron James has been spoken about a lot – 20 years in the league gets you that. But one thing people do not say is that they are scared of him. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal sure, but not LeBron. Not even the young kids these days, because all they want to do is charge at him and posterize him.

But all that is about to change with one man’s confession – Kendrick Perkins admits that he was scared to the bone. He was so scared, that he prayed for Bron to tear his ACL. Not a sprain, not a sore throat, but a literal ACL injury. That is how scared the big man turned TV presenter was of Cleveland Bron.

On camera, Perk admitted that he did not, at any cost, want to face the 4-time champion in game 7. On JJ Redick’s “Old man and the three” podcast, they spoke about all the different versions of Bron, and who was the most fearsome. For someone to be in their 20th season and still be considered feared, is unheard of.

This is the same LeBron James that the Boston Celtics had to build a liter super team to stop him. No one from the northeast is willing to admit it, but they had to get 4 superstars to stop one bulldozer of a man. They stood in the way of the fans getting to watch a Kobe v Bron finals, and Kevin Garnett is proud of it.

Also Read: Bronny James is worth $10 million but when was he 10 years old, LeBron James retaliated when colleges tried to recruit him

LeBron James was at his athletic best for almost 10 straight years – from 2008 to 2018, he was virtually unstoppable

To call LeBron an unstoppable force during his 10-year stretch is an understatement. He met a few roadblocks along the way, but there was no immovable object in his path to stop him. Even while facing Steph Curry and the GSW, Bron was head and shoulders above his teammates, and sometimes even the opposition.

Kids these days, and even adults for that matter only remember the Lobos drinking, cigar-smoking nonchalant King. But to be that man, he put in the work and demolished a few teams in a rather stupendous manner. 8 straight finals appearances in no laughing matter, whether he won them or not. Coming away with 3 rings, one of them a historic one is an incredible achievement.

Sure 6-0 sounds better and it is, but saying 8 straight is like a cakewalk is another. Some teams have been struggling to make it to the playoffs for the past 16 years (Sacramento Kings) and yet this man made it look like the Eastern conference was a weak side.

The fear Kendrick Perkins had was real and was warranted.

Also Read: “Lakers to make $170 million man Russell Westbrook play defense?”: NBA Twitter reacts to Darvin Ham’s new assignment for Mr. Triple Double alongside LeBron James

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma

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Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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