Perkins Suspicious of Any Injuries

Former Laker and current Indiana big man Sam Perkins was not about to let the Pacers get caught up in the “Will Kobe Bryant play?” hype before Wednesday night’s Game 4 NBA finals matchup with the Lakers.

Perkins, a 15-year veteran, said he never worries about any opponent’s injury. Perkins, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Wednesday, said the Pacers should have learned from the Eastern Conference finals, when they played the New York Knicks.

“We’ve acted like [Bryant] wasn’t hurt at all. They talked about how sore and hurt he is, but we’re not falling for . . . that,” Perkins said. “I think we did that in the Knick series when [Latrell] Sprewell supposedly broke his foot and then came out there dunking.”

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Perkins, playing in his third NBA finals, said this season’s postseason lacks the intensity of previous years.

“It’s a little bit different now,” said Perkins, who plans to retire after the season. “I think there was more media covering the finals then than there is now. I think playing every other day and rolling into each series made it more interesting. Having lulls in between is not good.

“I think we even had a week in between games in our first series, something like six days. It didn’t seem like the playoffs. Like we’re doing something else, but that’s the NBA and TV for you.”

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If the series goes seven games, Perkins will have banged and pushed against Shaquille O’Neal for three more games than he would have liked.

Since Game 1, he has needed treatment on a tender right shoulder injury.

“It’s sore, but I’ll live through it,” Perkins said. “It’s tough to keep going at him. . . .

“I’m going against one of the greatest centers in the league. . . . Sometimes, you even get so caught up on that, you forget to shoot the ball.”

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Indiana Coach Larry Bird said if Perkins does retire,he ended his playing career on a high note.

“The first half of the season, I can hardly remember him missing a three [point attempt],” Bird said. “The one thing about Sam, he needs to play 20, 22 minutes a game to stay sharp. You know, he’s a true professional. He’s one of the greatest I’ve ever been around; he works hard every day.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen him miss one practice and he didn’t want to miss that one, but he had a lot of fluid on his knee. He comes to work, he’s a team player. He sees things in this league that he just shakes his head at. He’s been very valuable to us.”

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Rebounding was a concern for the Pacers during the regular season and has become even more of an issue in the postseason. One problem for the Pacers is their lack of big men who can rebound. Forward Dale Davis is their only big-time rebounder, which means Indiana has to hit the boards as a group.

“We win when we are aggressive, rebounding and limiting second-chance opportunities,” point guard Mark Jackson said. “In the end, I think that’s where the [NBA finals] is going to be won for us.

“We have guards who can rebound the basketball, and we realize that’s one of our weaknesses as a team. It’s important for us to help our big guys. That has to be our responsibility. Dale has his hands full with trying to box out Shaq and staying in front of him. The other guys have to step it up and get the ball now.”

If we don’t, that’s disrespecting Dale and the effort he’s putting forth.”

Indiana was outrebounded, 42-39, in Game 4, with Davis getting a team-high eight.

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Another responsibility for Indiana’s guards has been to trap O’Neal every time he gets the ball on the low post--a task easier said than done.

“You can say that,” backup point guard Travis Best said. “But we’re out there to win, and we’re going to do whatever it takes. If that means coming down and doubling Shaq, even though our heads are at his elbow area, it doesn’t matter. . . . But our job is to try and get the ball out of his hands and make him pass it back out. We end up running around like a chicken with our heads cut off. But it’s all for the team, and it’s all good.”

After taking a couple of blows from O’Neal, Best said he has learned how to get in and out.

“The key is to hit at the ball,” Best said. “You can’t really worry about his elbows because that’s part of the game. If he comes down with one, he comes down with one. You’re just trying to get the ball out of his hands.”

IN QUOTES

“We shot extremely well tonight. It’s very disappointing to lose when you shoot that well.”

LARRY BIRD, Pacer coach

SI LONNIE WHITE