The Los Angeles Lakers took down the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 at home. Anthony Davis, after dominating in Game 1, was missing in Game 2, but was back to lead the charge in Game 3. Seeing the trend of how AD has been in these playoffs, Charles Barkley issued a prediction ahead of Game 4. He even went after the Lakers star’s status in all-time rankings, questioning his ‘greatness’ because of his inconsistency.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have played 9 games this postseason, winning 6 of them so far. In this series, AD has had quite the swing between odd and even games. In the odd games these playoffs, AD averages 27.8 points and 16.8 rebounds. On the other hand, his averages drop to 13 points and 10.3 rebounds in even games.
Here is what Charles Barkley had to say about the same.
Charles Barkley uses inconsistency to rule Anthony Davis as ‘not great’
Charles Barkley is an analyst who likes to call things as they are. He does not beat around the bush, and he certainly does not care if he ‘hurts’ someone’s feelings. While talking about the upcoming Warriors-Lakers Game 4, Chuck said it all depends on Anthony Davis. Talking about Davis and his inconsistent performances, Barkley said,
“It’s fascinating to me. If he plays great, the Lakers are going to win, but he’s due for another bad game tomorrow. A great player does not have… A player who’s talented, who’s inconsistent can have those variations. You can never be a great player if you’re giving me 40 and 15.”
While the inconsistency on the scoring didn’t really affect things in the Grizzlies series, the whole equation is different against the Dubs. In Game 2, not only was he missing from the points chart, but also his rebounding and defense were lackluster. Heading into Game 4, AD’s on-court demeanor will decide what way the game will swing.
Can the Warriors stop AD again?
In Game 2 of the series, the Warriors threw a lot of things at AD. They didn’t necessarily double-team him a lot, but they made Draymond Green the primary defender on him. On top of that, there was a lot of help defense, and making sure he doesn’t get easy fouls. It’s almost like they forgot their practice in Game 3.
Heading into Game 4, AD will look to beat the ‘inconsistent’ allegations, while the Dubs will try and find ways to stop the former Kentucky Wildcat. If they do manage to do that, beating the Lakers would be much, much easier for the Dubs.
