After watching the “The Last Dance” on Sunday, former Cleveland Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins took a shot at one of Michael Jordan’s main defenders during the 1993 NBA Finals.
Perkins appeared to imply in a tweet that LeBron James or Kevin Durant, his former teammates with the Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively, would have had a field day against the Phoenix Suns’ Dan Majerle.
I can only imagine what LeBron James and Kevin Durant would have done to Dan Majerle in a Finals Matchup! Carry on….
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 4, 2020
At 6-foot-6, Majerle was one of the league’s elite defenders in the ’90s. He was a three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive team member. In the 1993 Finals, the responsibility of guarding Jordan was thrust upon his shoulders.
Though several Suns players took turns in defending the Chicago Bulls legend, Majerle caught the ire of Jordan because of how former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause admired the Suns swingman.
Jordan disdained Krause for various reasons, one of which included the GM’s seeming lack of respect for his players’ accomplishments while courting others who caught his eye.
Given Majerle’s reputation for being a hard-nosed defender, he certainly would have been an asset to the Bulls at the time.
James and Durant, two of the league’s best players today, would have certainly played well against any defender just as Jordan bested Majerle back in the day.
Majerle would have made either player work hard for his shots, but ultimately, James’ and Durant’s superior offensive skills would have given them the upper hand in the what-if scenario that Perkins proposed.
Perkins has been avidly watching “The Last Dance” since it started airing on ESPN on April 19. He has been defending James from haters on social media especially with regards to the Los Angeles Lakers star’s status as a player on Jordan’s level.
“The Last Dance” is a 10-episode documentary series that tells the story of the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls as well as their dynastic runs in the 90s.
