Kendrick Perkins has absolved Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley for the latter's role in the controversial on-court collision with Russell Westbrook that led to the former Oklahoma City Thunder point guard's season-ending injury 10 years ago.

“When you go back and look at the actual play, everybody kept saying ‘Pat dove at [Russell Westbrook's] knee intentionally' I'm like ‘no he didn't, man,'” Perkins said during a recent appearance on the Pat Bev Pod.

At that time, the Thunder and the Houston Rockets were playing against each other in Game 1 of their first-round series in the 2013 NBA Playoffs. Westbrook and the Thunder were the No. 1 seeds going up against the eighth-seeded Rockets of Beverley, who had the unenviable task of hounding Westbrook on defense. Unfortunately, Beverley's aggressiveness during that particular defensive play seriously hurt Westbrook — and the Thunder's chances of winning the NBA championship that year.

Although Westbrook was able to finish the game, he wouldn't be able to play another the rest of the postseason after getting diagnosed with a torn meniscus that required surgery to repair. The Thunder got sent home in five games by the Memphis Grizzlies in the West semis.

Many Thunder and Westbrook fans have since considered Beverley a villain, but Perkins might have changed the minds of some of them with his latest take on the incident.

In any case, any schism between Westbrook and Beverley had already been put to rest with the two seeing each other eye to eye during their short stint together with the Los Angeles Lakers.