The Lakers are currently on a nine-game winning streak before heading to Detroit to face the Pistons. NBA legend Charles Barkley recently appeared on the Jim Rome show and addressed his opinion on the Lakers’ current form.
While he praises the Lakers for a solid showing in this stretch, he still believes that they are not serious contenders to come out of the West, let alone win it all in the Finals.
“Luka has been playing great. You know what’s so fun about our business? Three months ago, it was the greatest trade in sports history; two weeks ago, Luka was a bum.”
“It’s almost comical when you wake up in the morning and watch TV. Three months ago, it was the worst trade in NBA history, two weeks ago, [it became] Nico was right, the Lakers stink, bla bla bla.”
“Two weeks later, they’re playing great. Luka’s been playing great; he’s been unbelievable. Austin has played great, and LeBron is probably the best third wheel in NBA history.”
“And LeBron is such a great player because he can do it all, because he’s not going to have the ball, the ball should be in Luka’s or Austin’s hands because they’re the two best players on the team at this stage”.
“But LeBron’s such a great player, he can fit in and just finish. It’s a great situation for him; nobody in the NBA has a better third player. But I don’t think they can win the championship.”
“I don’t think they can beat OKC, Denver, or the Spurs. I think the Rockets and Minnesota would be an interesting series. They’re playing great, but I don’t think they can beat OKC, Denver, or the Spurs.”
Charles Barkley has always been a critic of the Lakers, who, until February, believed that they were tanking and not serious contenders in the league.
After the first week of March, Barkley outrightly stated that the TNT contract forces them to act like the Lakers are a good team, but he believes that they are not a contender.
If the Lakers beat the Pistons tonight, they will extend their winning streak to ten games. And while they might be playing like the best team in the league right now, that will also seemingly not be enough to impress Barkley enough to say they could win it all.
Considering that it all boils down to a seven-game series, I know that the regular season record eventually becomes immaterial.
But if momentum and team chemistry mean anything in the sport of basketball, it is at these moments heading into the most important phase of the year, where the final few games of the regular season can help a team find rhythm and iron out its wrinkles before the playoffs.
