“So sick of these fools”: Charles Barkley hammers the Lakers and Warriors being overhyped

NBA legend Charles Barkley has grown tired of talking about the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. Despite being in the play-in zone, the two Pacific Division teams are closely being watched by most. Barkley criticized both team's mediocre seasons in the recent episode of "Inside the NBA on TNT."

The Lakers (32-28) are ninth in the West. The 2020 champions are fighting for a better postseason seed. Ideally, being out of the play-in zone would be beneficial for them to participate in the playoffs.

The Warriors (30-27) have a similar case, at 10th in the standings. The 2022 champions are fighting to get into the playoffs, as they still believe that they can contend for the title.

Adam Lefkoe, co-host of the show, said that the Warriors seem to be clicking recently and are a dangerous team to face, even in the play-in. But Barkley disagreed, saying that no team in the West is worried about playing either team.

"I'm so sick of these fools on other networks talking about the Lakers and the Warriors," Barkley said. "We don't brag about any other play-in teams do we?

"I understand Steph (Curry) is great, LeBron (James) is great. Ain't nobody worried about the Lakers and the Warriors in the West."

The Lakers were a play-in team last season but were still strong enough to reach the conference finals. Although they were swept by the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets, it's still a feat worth recognizing.

For the Warriors, they've had plenty of inconsistencies this season. It could be their downfall this time. Additionally, Andrew Wiggins, an important piece to their playoff bid, has taken a leave of absence to address personal matters.

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Charles Barkley chose the Lakers as title contenders before the season started

Even analysts like Charles Barkley aren't sure what will happen next. Before the 2023-24 season started, the Lakers made decent moves by adding intelligent role players to help the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Because of their roster moves, Barkley considered them to be title contenders before the season even began.

Chuck talked about three teams that could contend for the title this season, including the Lakers. His first choice was the Nuggets, who are built around Nikola Jokic.

"The Lakers have gotten better. There’s going to be some surprise teams. The Celtics are interesting, going out to get (Kristaps) Porzingis," Barkley said.

However, the former NBA star doesn't believe in the Lakers anymore. But given that the Lakers reached the conference finals last year, they could surprise Barkley.