The Oklahoma City Thunder were unable to defeat the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, and Kendrick Perkins believes part of the reason why is due to James Harden's off-court activities. While speaking about the 2012 NBA Finals, Perkins revealed that Harden's strip club habits played a role in the Thunder losing the series.

Perkins, who was on Oklahoma City's roster in 2012, divulged this to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on “All The Smoke.” The former NBA big man shared that Harden was able to thrive in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs due to there being a lack of things to do in San Antonio.

In the grueling six-game series versus the Spurs, James Harden averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting an impressive 60.9 percent from beyond the arc. However, his play would change in the NBA Finals, which Perkins attributes to Harden partying in the bright lights of Miami.

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During the 2012 NBA Finals, the Thunder secured Game 1, proving to themselves that they could compete with the dynamic trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. However, Harden wound up struggling for the entire series, leading to Oklahoma City losing the next four games.

Compared to his stellar showing in the Western Conference Finals, Harden recorded only 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting a putrid 31.8 percent from 3-point range. While there is a long list of reasons why the Thunder lost to the Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, Perkins believes Harden's night-life tendencies helped seal Oklahoma City's fate.

Kendrick Perkins had already spoken about James Harden's partying this season already, blaming Russell Westbrook's trade request from the Houston Rockets on Harden's decisions off the court. There's clearly a bit of history here.