Perk calls Warriors ‘legit title contenders' after win vs. Rockets
Kendrick Perkins called the Golden State Warriors "legit title contenders" after their 95-85 Game 1 win over the Houston Rockets in the 2025 Western Conference first-round playoffs on Sunday at Toyota Center.
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Perk calls Warriors ‘legit title contenders' after win vs. Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins put a lot of stock in the Warriors after their 95-85 Game 1 win over the Houston Rockets in the 2025 Western Conference first-round playoffs on Sunday at Toyota Center.
“They can make a legit run to the NBA finals,” Perkins said on Monday night’s edition of “SportsCenter.” “I don’t have them picked, but with Jimmy Butler, he’s a Swiss Army Knife; he’ll cut you everywhere but loose. And it’s not just from him scoring, it’s from him going for the rebounds, getting the assists, getting the steals, and all of a sudden, he’s added more life, more joy to Steph Curry and this Warriors organization. All of a sudden, we’ve seen the Steph we’ve grown to love.
“This team continues to play at this pace, especially what they’re doing defensively with the combination of Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, this team definitely can make a run to the Finals. I’m not putting them over [the Oklahoma City Thunder], but they are legit title contenders.”
After one game, Perkins can see Golden State giving Oklahoma City a run for its money. It’s not an outlandish take, either.
The Warriors were rejuvenated by Butler’s arrival and since have won 24 of the 31 games he has played in thus far, including Sunday’s playoff victory. Curry got his experienced running mate and, as Perkins highlighted, Green got another key defender to help lead Golden State’s defense, which has been elite since Butler’s arrival.
Golden State’s defense led the NBA with a 109.3 defensive rating after hosting NBA All-Star Weekend. The Warriors limiting the second-seeded Rockets to 85 points shouldn’t have surprised anyone who has been paying attention.
The Warriors still have 15 wins to go before earning their fifth NBA championship in 11 seasons. But Golden State looks like a real contender after its Game 1 victory, and Perkins is paying attention.
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