Once more, Charles Barkley has written off the Golden State Warriors’ chances of making it to the NBA Finals this year. Barkley made the humorous statement that Draymond Green won’t be present when Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown talked about being prepared for the Warriors and Draymond Green should they face each other again in the Finals.
Jaylen Brown: “We weren’t prepared when you used that level of force when I played against you in the Finals. However, we will be prepared this time.”
Draymond Green: “Thank you very much.”
“First of all, he won’t be there,” said Charles Barkley.
Barkley’s sense of humor has always been spot-on, and today was no exception. Naturally, Brown and the Celtics were defeated in six games by the Warriors and Green in the 2022 NBA Finals. However, if these teams were to meet again, events might go differently.
With a 43-12 record, the Celtics lead the rankings and have been the best team in the East all season, despite a few stumbles. With a 27-26 record, the Warriors are now ranked 10th in the Western Conference.
Although Barkley is by no means the only one who has written them off, Golden State has recently displayed some life. With Green, who is averaging 9.7 points per game, they have won eight of their previous ten gamesoutstanding on the defensive end, averaging 6.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game this season.
On offense, Jonathan Kuminga has truly begun to establish himself as the Warriors’ dependable backup scorer to Stephen Curry. The building and the fan base are becoming more optimistic as rookie Brandin Podziemski has also shown great promise.
Do I believe they are now capable of mounting a credible title challenge? Not really. As was the case last season, I believe the Warriors will make the playoffs and possibly even win a series, but that’s as far as I can see them going.
Throughout their dynastic run, Golden State has frequently shown its detractors wrong, and Barkley has had to backtrack a significant number of times. But I believe the 60-year-old will be proven correct this time. Right now, it seems like the Warriors are one or two pieces away from being a serious contender.
San Francisco Was Dissed by Charles Barkley Additionally
Draymond: "For All-Star, we got San Francisco next year."
Chuck: "Oh, that's not a great one."
Draymond: "Relax. That's why you're not welcomed there!" pic.twitter.com/dtCZ6jwuIQ
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 18, 2024
In addition to severely disparaging San Antonio, Barkley also downplayed the Warriors’ prospects.
Francisco. The Hall of Famer responded when Green mentioned that the 2025 All-Star Game would be held in the city.
Barkley remarked, “Oh, that’s not a great one.”
Barkley is not welcome there for precisely this reason, according to Green. Sir Charles replied that although Draymond was told things were much better now, he still needed to acknowledge that it is perilous there.
“Alright, hopefully,” Barkley replied. “But it was not safe or clean the last time we were there.”
We talk a lot about Barkley’s roasting of San Antonio, but in recent years, he has focused much more on San Francisco. Barkley even acknowledged his dislike of San Francisco in an interview from a few years ago.
That kind of comment, along with his repeated dismissals of the Warriors, is precisely the reason he isn’t the most well-liked guy in the community. Of course, Barkley isn’t having any sleepless nights over it.