Kendrick Perkins was extremely candid with his choice of words when criticizing the bucks” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-is-sponsored=”false”>Milwaukee Bucks at halftime during Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers. As Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. found themselves trailing by 10 points by the end of the opening two frames, the ESPN analyst ripped them for their lackluster performance throughout the series.
The Bucks entered Friday’s contest having already dropped the first two games of the first-round series. They looked poised to fall into an even deeper hole, facing the possibility of a 0-3 deficit as they entered halftime trailing 47-57.
“The Bucks are trash. The truth hurts. They’re trash. They’re a team that plays individual basketball, don’t play together, don’t compete,” Perkins bashed the Bucks.
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Perkins was harsh, yet fairly accurate with his assessment. The Bucks looked far from a team with championship aspirations. They committed seven turnovers by halftime and struggled on the offensive end, managing just 37.5% from the field, which included an abysmal 17.4% from three-point land.
However, the Bucks managed to flip the switch in the second half. Backed by the Gary Trent Jr.-Antetokounmpo duo’s valiant 44-point explosion in the final two quarters, the Wisconsin side pulled off an improbable 117-101 win, trimming the deficit of the series to merely one game.
Kendrick Perkins showered Giannis Antetokounmpo with lofty praise before the postseason
Kendrick Perkins might not have much faith in the Milwaukee Bucks, however, he has often sung praise for Giannis Antetokounmpo during the 2024-2025 campaign. Ahead of the 2025 playoffs, Perkins established the Greek Freak as one of the greatest in his position.
“In my eyes, Giannis is the second-greatest power forward of all time behind Tim Duncan… Him being able to make guys around him better at a high rate. Every time I look up, Giannis is getting a triple-double.”
“This is an opportunity for Giannis to go into this postseason and show the world that ‘Hey, I’m Giannis Antetokounmpo. I’m still one of the best, if not the best players in the world,’” Kendrick Perkins said shortly after suggesting that the Bucks didn’t have much chance to defeat the Pacers.
Giannis has lived up to, if not exceeded, Perkins’ expectations in the postseason so far. Through the first three games of Milwaukee’s first-round series, the two-time MVP is averaging a dominant 35.7 points, 14 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting a blistering 67.7% from the field.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been one of the best performers of the playoffs at this point, leading all players in points and rebounds per game. But knowing his win-first mindset, these stats are meaningless to him unless they lead to Milwaukee’s success.
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Edited by Dipayan Moitra
