Charles Barkley appears to be mocking ESPN's 'idiots' for NBA delusions

NBA

by andrew crane

Until they are officially eliminated, the Lakers and Warriors will always emerge as the likely group to survive, with their collection of superstars and deep collection of postseason runs.

But analyst Charles Barkley believes that won't be the case this season.

On Thursday's “Inside the NBA,” Barkley appeared to slam ESPN. ESPN didn't name them specifically, but instead referred to them as TNT's “sister network,” using rhetoric that suggested the two teams had a chance.

“The West is going to go all the way,” Barclay said. “I mean, it's simple. It's fun to watch. … Idiots on other networks keep talking about the Lakers and Warriors like they had a chance.”

Because of this, Shaquille O'Neal, one of the show's analysts, responded that technically the 9th place Lakers and 10th place Warriors still have a chance at the play-in tournament.

“Play-ins aren't real, they're just for the record,” Barkley replied. “We just made that up, Shaq. It's like a CBI tournament.”

Despite an underwhelming season that included Klay Thompson being benched and Stephen Curry's recent ankle injury, the Warriors are poised for a meaningful game after starting 21-15. I have arranged it.

The Lakers overcame a mid-season lull that saw their record fall to 19-21, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis averaging 25.2 and 24.7 points per game, respectively, helping them win nine of their past 14 games. .

And each of these franchises has been to the NBA Finals the past four seasons, with the Warriors dynasty reaching the Championship Series five straight years before that.

But this time around, they won't be getting the top seeds in the Western Conference — which would include those belonging to the Nuggets, Thunder or even the Timberwolves.

They don't have home court advantage.

Game 7 will not be played at Staples Center or Chase Center.

Instead, the Lakers and Warriors' route to winning the Western Conference could depend on a play-in tournament for any series.

“We're just making it up,” Barkley said of the play-in tournament. “They should thank Adam Silver for making something up. 'Hey, let's add some teams to the playoffs so the Lakers and Warriors can be in.'