Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets had all the answers for what LeBron James and Co. threw at them in the recently concluded Western Conference Finals. They cruised past the Lakers in 4 games with the utmost dominance like they never noticed how difficult it was supposed to be. Even still, every media outlet has only been talking more about the Lakers after every game the Nuggets won. For those unsure, that is every game of the series. And it isn’t pleasing our TNT favorite, Charles Barkley one bit. In fact, he seems downright disgusted by the media already talking about James’ upcoming $97,000,000 contract and retirement.
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It didn’t sit well with head coach Michael Malone either, who called it out quite early.
“No one talked about Nikola [Jokic] just having a historic performance. He’s got 13 triple-doubles [in Playoffs] now, third all-time. What he’s doing is just incredible, but the narrative wasn’t about the Nuggets, the narrative wasn’t about Nikola,” Malone blasted the media in the post-game press conference after winning Game 2. “The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments. So, you put that in your pipe, you smoke it, and you come back. We’re going to go up 2-0.”
The Chuckster echoed Malone’s thoughts recently.
“It should have been all about Denver Nuggets”: Charles Barkley sounds off on the media
Before Game 3, Charles Barkley was suggesting that Coach Malone must not talk about the Lakers getting all the attention. Rather, he believed he should concentrate on his own team and players until they have won the series.
Now that they have, Chuck himself is mad about the whole media narrative being around what the Lakers should do now. Especially when the team that just beat them has not got their due credit yet.
“I was so mad this morning I actually turned the TV off. Because the Denver Nuggets sweep, get to the finals for the first time. We all love LeBron, he didn’t say he was retired yet, it should’ve been all about the Denver Nuggets,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA on Tuesday.
The man is right. Until James announces his final decision, it should all be about Jokic, Murray, and the Nuggets.
Is LeBron James retiring? Should it be a concern?
The 38-year-old Lakers superstar has a $97 million contract to kick in next year. He might be a billionaire, but the man who doesn’t buy his own internet is not going to leave almost 10% of his net worth on the table and walk off into the sunset.
That is why there is no reason for him to get any kind of attention despite his recent threat of possibly retiring.
Just let the future of the NBA, which deserves the limelight more than anything else have it. Jokic already received a lot of hate during the MVP race for no reason. Let the big man now enjoy his success.
