“We have been close friends for a long time. Myself, Melo, and him (Wade), we have been really close. Well, he is a nicer guy than I am, to be honest with you. Since 07, the Olympic team we became close train together…” Training for the Redeem Team brought Dwyane Wade closer to Kobe Bryant, which the latter expressed. From battling in the league to busting noses to forming a real bond off the court, the two share a tremendous relationship. But when it came to an analytical approach, D-Wade kept friendship separate.

“A lot of people don’t know that in that Finals, that last Finals that they won, Kobe didn’t play well. Kobe didn’t shoot the ball well. Actually, everybody thought Pau Gasol should have been MVP. That’s how well Pau was playing, and Kobe was playing awful.” The 3x NBA champion was talking about the 2010 Finals and believed the Finals MVP award belonged to Spanish center Pau Gasol. But Kobe Bryant won his second Finals MVP, becoming only the ninth player in NBA history at that time to win the award at least twice.

Kendrick Perkins, who was on the opposite end, called out Dwyane Wade. Despite losing the finals to Kobe and Gasol, Perkins told him, “you lost your damn mind.” He added further, “You know who was playing in that series in 2010? Me, yours truly. Right? I got hurt in game six, we went to game seven, we ended up losing, but ain’t no way in hell Pau Gasol was getting no Finals MVP over Kobe.” The Celtics legend described the game in which Kobe shot poorly to prove his point.

“Kobe had one bad game. He had one bad game. He shot six for 24 in game seven. I get all that, but here’s the thing. I think Kobe had 15, 16 rebounds. So you got to understand the moment. In that series, whoever won the rebound in battle won the game. Kobe Bryant knew that. So in a crucial game seven, when your shot is not falling, you expect greatness.”

Even when we take the final averages, Kobe Bryant stands comfortably clear.

Dwyane Wade’s argument was used against him by Kendrick Perkins

The game that Dwyane Wade brought up was the deciding Game 7. Kobe Bryant shot poorly, 6-24, and even 0-6 from three-point shooting. But he was still the highest scorer on the day with 23 points. His bigger contribution came in the form of rebounds, where he was second on the night with 15 boards, behind only Gasol (18). This contribution is why Kendrick Perkins feels the overall Finals MVP rightfully was Black Mamba.

The Lakers legend averaged 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 7 games with 40.5 FG% and 31.9% shooting from beyond the arc. On the other hand, Gasol had 18.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 7 games with 47.8 FG%. That’s why Perkins ended the rant with love for Dwyane Wade, but without changing his stance.

“I love you, brother. You’re doing a hell of a job, but that was just some straight foolishness you was talking about. Ain’t no way in hell that was going to Pau Gasol.” With overall contribution of Kobe, Perkins firmly believes that the Black Mamba deserved the award he got.