Stephen A. Smith teases Kendrick Perkins over apparent sleepiness on ‘First Take’

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins is many things. On Friday, it appears one of those might have been “fatigued.”

ESPN’s Perkins has been busy this NBA season, and during playoff time, that workload has seemingly only increased. The network aired the pivotal Game 6 matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Perkins participated in coverage of that game, which didn’t end until pretty late on the East Coast.

Then, as you’ll sometimes see him, Perkins joined First Take Friday morning. He discussed Game 6 and the looming Game 7 between the T’Wolves and Nuggets with Stephen A. Smith and veteran NBA analyst Tim Legler. After the trio discussed who they think will win the seventh game this weekend, things got a tad awkward.

“What’cha mean go down with the ship?” Perkins asked. The former NBA champion center then nearly got into an argument with Smith, who adamantly defended himself.

“Yo, Perk, you might have gotten your rest and just woke up. I’ve been up. Don’t get on my nerves, bro,” Smith said. “Just answer the question. I’m too damn sleepy, I’m too damn sleepy to be asking questions to you, Perk.”

Credit: ESPN

“I’m just saying, I just got off a red-eye,” Perkins responded.  “I got straight off a red-eye. I was in the studio with you last night. Okay? That’s first things first.”

Perkins and Smith eventually finished the segment without getting further into it. Crankiness, hangriness, whatever the culprit may be. Hopefully, things were squared away eventually.

Perkins has been working extremely hard this postseason as one of ESPN’s most visible analysts. And that even saw him recently saying he missed Get Up due to watching a late game.

That hard work might be showing its effects right now.

[Video Credit: ESPN]