Three NBA teams are down 2-0. Who can still save the season?
In the NBA playoffs, three teams will play each other with 0 wins and 2 losses. Which candidates still have a way to return to the series, and who feels like the season is already over?
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has a knack for speaking his mind, whether it’s justified or not.
Barkley continued his exchange with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green on Friday, which originally began during Green’s May 6 appearance on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA.”
Barkley expressed his opinion about the Warriors, saying that the Warriors’ dynasty is over and that Green and Stephen Curry should consider leaving if their career goals are to become more NBA champions.
“The Warriors are finished,” Barkley said on May 6. “I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s the same with all the old teams. You have your run, you get older…it just passed. Everybody had the best run of all time.”
“I think the goal is to not look like myself in a Houston Rockets uniform. That’s the ultimate goal,” Green said.
Barkley was later supported by those who had spent 30 years with him on the show. Later in the show, they discussed how James Harden had more turnovers than field goals against the Detroit Pistons.
Green defended Harden, but it was just a setup because the producers had statistics that surprised even Green. Green has had 43 playoff games with more turnovers than field goals, tied with Kendrick Perkins for the most since 2003.
The “feud” continued on Friday, with Barkley giving a radio interview. Here’s what he had to say to Mr. Green, further emphasizing his position:
Charles Barkley reacts to Draymond Green’s jab
Barkley stood by his statements about the Warriors and Green. He appeared on several radio programs on Friday, May 8, and reiterated his position.
During an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7FM’s “Bickley & Marotta Morning Show,” he praised Green but said the two aren’t on the same level.
“Man, I never punch down,” Barkley said. “Draymond is a good player. We’re not on the same level. I hear it, but I don’t have to react every time someone says something about me. Draymond’s a really good player and he’s had a great career, but we’re not on the same level.”
Barkley also appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” and went on to detail his attempts to film Hall of Famer Green in person.
“He fired at me, but I didn’t get angry, because I said something about the men and they made a personal attack against me,” Barkley said. “You know, it’s very funny. Last time you had me on the show, I said that I regret my time with the Rockets, especially the last two years, which were the worst years as a player. But I didn’t turn down free money. I had two years left on my contract.”
Turning attention back to the Warriors, Barkley, like Green, lamented that the Warriors’ losing streak appears to be over.
“He made it personal,” Barkley said. “The Warriors haven’t been relevant the last three or four years. They’ve been in the play-ins. When you’re in the play-ins, you’re not in the playoffs.”
he continued. “The play-in is just something they made up to add more games to another network. I think the Warriors have been in the play-in four years in a row, so they’re irrelevant. And I know he doesn’t want to say that… Golden State is over, they’ve had a great run. He attacked me personally, but I’m not sensitive. But I’m done with Golden State. If Golden State meant anything, he wouldn’t be in the studio with me. ”
Charles Barkley’s Houston Rockets stats
Here’s something that many people don’t realize. Barkley was traded to Houston at age 33 and played there for four seasons from 1996 to 2000, retiring at age 36. In those four seasons, he played in 152 games and averaged 16.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals.
Barkley was selected to play in the 1997 All-Star Game, but did not play due to injury. Barkley joins Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon on the team. He played alongside Hall of Famers and averaged fewer than 20 points per game for the first time since his rookie season in 1984-85. That season, he averaged 19.2 points.
The 1996-97 season was Barkley’s last real chance to win a championship, as the Rockets lost in six games to the Utah Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference Finals. Barkley averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds in the series.
Injuries derailed Barkley’s career late, ending with a torn left quadriceps tendon during the 1999-2000 season.
Looking like Houston Barkley might not be so bad after all, if Green hadn’t mentioned the career-ending injury.
