Kendrick Perkins calls out Lakers' LeBron James in suprising playoff prediction

LeBron James is the self-proclaimed king, but can he help the Los Angeles Lakers pull off a Game 6 win in their playoff series against the Houston Rockets?

If you ask former NBA player and current ESPN sports analyst Kendrick Perkins, he'll tell you, "No."

Appearing on ESPN's "First Take" on Friday, Perkins flat-out said that he doesn't think James can lead the Lakers to a Game 6 victory over the Rockets.

"The Rockets are going to win this series," Perkins said. "The Rockets have everything on their side. This series has now completely favored the Houston Rockets."

He also talked about how the Lakers have to go down to Texas on Friday, deal with jet lag and then come back around for a Game 7 if the Rockets win.

LeBron James gets shaded by Kendrick Perkins

Perkins slammed James, too, saying that the Lakers are being led by a "41-year-old senior citizen."

"The Rockets' youth and their physicality is kicking in," Perkins said. "And let me say this. The Rockets are playing for the names on the front of their jerseys, and they're playing for the names on the back of their jerseys. This young core now is proving a point not only to the world but to Kevin Durant. They're saying, right now to KD, 'We can win without you.'"

So, is this going to be as much of a blowout win as Perkins expects? Maybe not. It's not just James leading the Lakers, although he's been impressive in this series. Deandre Ayton has also been very skilled under pressure. Even during the team's Game 5 loss to the Rockets, Ayton had 18 points and 17 rebounds. So, the 27-year-old Ayton may be the secret to what keeps the Lakers going in this series.