Kendrick Perkins shouts out unheralded Knicks asset amid NBA Finals

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins recognized a familar face amidst the New York Knicks’ coaching staff during Game 1 of the NBA Finals. After Perkins commended the Knicks’ chemistry in Game 1, which compelled New York to compete a 14-point comeback to take a 1-0 lead against the San Antonio Spurs, the 2008 champion shared the story of a defensive specialist named Daren Erman.

The Knicks’ assistant coach began his coaching career with the Boston Celtics, when he met Perkins amidst the 2007-08 campaign. Perkins revealed how Erman, a former lawyer, ditched practicing law to pursue his dream to be an NBA coach, he said, per ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show.

“He’s the defensive specialist assistant coach, Daren Erman, with whom I won a championship in 2008,” Perkins said. “And let me take you behind the scenes with Daren Erman. Daren Erman was a lawyer. He quit his job. They was paying $250,000 a year to take on a role with the Boston Celtics, working under Tom Thibodeau. Not even hired as a coach  to pursue his basketball dream of being an assistant coach. He quit. Moved to Boston.

“Rented out somebody’s basement. Wasn’t getting paid. Was the first person at the gym every day. His office space was in the closet where you’d have to go to turn the lights on in the gym.”

That is right

"I won a championship with Darren Erman in 2008..

He was a lawyer and he quit his job to pursue his basketball dream of being an assistant coach..

He is a mastermind defensively for the New York Knicks and I'm so proud of him" @KendrickPerkins #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/8PsSWjVRUG

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 4, 2026

18 years later, Erman is back in the NBA Finals. As one of Thibodeau’s disciples, Erman’s in a much more prominent role compared to his job with the Celtics, which reminded Perkins of how his former defensive specialist in Thibodeau’s spirit remains with the Knicks.

“Listen, people don’t think that that Tom Thibodeau blood is not walking up and down that sidelines for New York,” Perkins added. “But he is a mastermind defensively for the New York Knicks and I’m so proud of him.”

The Knicks extended their postseason winning streak to 12 after Game 1’s 105-95 win against the Spurs.

Kendrick Perkins on the Knicks’ chemistry in Game 1

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins applauded the Knicks’ coaching staff for having trust in their players during Game 1’s victory against the Spurs. The Knicks erased a 14-point deficit in Game 1.

Perkins believes the Knicks’ cohesive approach gave them a significant edge against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, he said, per The Pat McAfee Show.

“They got what you call ‘togetherness.’ For Towns to start the game on Wemby, that’s what you call trust,” Perkins said. “For Mike Brown to continue to lean on Landry Shamet, he played 32 minutes; that’s what you call trust. Jose [Alvarado] came into the game last night and had some huge moments, and knocked down some big-time shots. It’s called trust. When you’re trying to win a championship, you gotta have a certain level of trust in your coach, and your coaching staff got to have a certain level of trust in your players.”

The Spurs will host the Knicks in Game 2 on Friday.

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