James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers have been playing some of the best basketball in the entire NBA in recent weeks after taking a few games to get going following his blockbuster trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Clippers now sit comfortably in the upper echelon of the Western Conference playoff picture, and Harden and his LA teammates were quite impressive in their recent road demolition of the Boston Celtics.

The incredible play as of late has raised eyebrows around the league, including those of former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who recently broke down why he thinks the Clippers are destined for NBA glory later on this spring.

“The team coming out of the west… is the Clippers,” said Perkins on ESPN's NBA Today. “I need to apologize to James Harden, because the way that he's playing right now, alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard… with the depth that they have, the Clippers are not lacking anything… This team, healthy, is not only winning the West, but in my eyes is winning the entire NBA Championship this year.”

The “healthy” part of the last season is of course quite the caveat when discussing the Clippers. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have made it through just one postseason together in full health since joining forces in 2019, and James Harden's playoff track record isn't exactly the stuff of legend, either.

However, if the Clippers can replicate this level of play in April and May, they very well may still find themselves hooping in June.