- The Lakers and Warriors are trying to fight their way into the playoffs
- But Charles Barkley isn’t buying their postseason chances
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Charles Barkley has taken aim at the “idiots” running ESPN’s NBA coverage for giving the Lakers and Warriors a chance to make the playoffs.
Although both teams have winning records, they are only ninth and tenth respectively in a brutal Western Conference, and would, as things stand, win two play-in games to make the postseason proper.
Barkley apparently doesn’t see LA and Golden State as real threats to make the playoffs, and took a shot on ESPN on Thursday night.
“The idiots on the other network keep talking about the Lakers and the Warriors like they’ve been given a chance,” he said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”
His fellow panelist Shaquille O’Neal then said: ‘They do have a chance. It’s called the play-in.’
Charles Barkley called out the “idiots” at ESPN – which Kendrick Perkins didn’t appreciate
“The play-in isn’t real, just for good measure,” Barkley replied. We just made that up, Shaq. As does the CBI Tournament (a postseason college tournament featuring teams that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament or NIT).
Barkley’s comments were later presented to Kendrick Perkins, who serves as an NBA analyst for ESPN, and the former center fired back at Hall of Famer Barkley.
“Charles Barkley is not the sharpest knife in the drawer… everything that comes out of his mouth is not the gospel,” Perkins said on the radio. Pat McAfee Show.
“Now he’s an all-time great man, he’s done a great job in the media world and I respect him like crazy. But the point is, we’re going to talk about the Los Angeles Lakers, and we’re going to talk about Golden State Warriors.
‘You know why? Because they have LeBron James, who might be the best to ever touch the damn basketball. And you have Steph Curry, a generational talent and a top ten all-timer. Okay, and we have to appreciate them. Because what else are we going to talk about when both boys are gone?
Perkins added that the Lakers and Warriors were “really good basketball teams” who had the misfortune of playing in the West.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry try to lead their respective teams to the playoffs
Despite Barkley’s harsh words, TNT and ESPN actually collaborated on their game and studio coverage during the In-Season Tournament semifinals late last year.
The Lakers are currently 36-31, while the Warriors are 34-31.
“I understand what Charles is saying,” Perkins continued. “Do I think they’re going to make noise in the postseason, any of those teams? Not really. But at the end of the day, we have to realize who the hell is on that team.”
The play-in format was first used (outside the league’s COVID bubble) in 2021, pitting seventh through 10th seeds against each other to qualify for the playoffs proper.
The No. 7 and 8 seeds only need to win one game to enter, and play each other first, with the loser facing the winner of a No. 9 and 10 matchup for the final spot.
Previously, the top eight teams from both conferences automatically made the playoffs.
