Kendrick Perkins: 'We actually like getting overlooked'

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a different team than the one that appeared in the NBA Finals last season. In part because of the surprise trade of James Harden, last year's Sixth Man of the Year, the Thunder aren't as hot of a topic nationally as the NBA season is not yet one-fifth of the way complete. All that is fine with Thunder big man Kendrick Perkins.

"We actually like getting overlooked," Perkins told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. At 10-4, with only three other teams with a better record, it seems Perkins would love for nothing more than talk to circle around the surprise New York Knicks, the stars of the Miami Heat, and the storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. "We like being overlooked and it does motivate us to keep going and keep winning games."

It may not last long, however. Despite having the league's fourth-best record, Perkins says the Thunder are still at an eight on a scale from one to ten:

"We have a lot of new guys and a lot of young guys so we're just trying to build our chemistry one game at a time ... We just have to make sure we follow the process and keep getting better."

The Thunder host the Charlotte Bobcats (7-5) Monday night at 7 p.m. CT.