“If you can’t appreciate that you really don’t know anything about basketball as a fan”: Charles Barkley comes out in support of Chris Paul

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley comes out in support of Chris Paul post the Phoenix Suns suffering a shocking exit in the second round of the playoffs.

The Phoenix Suns had a disappointing ending to an otherwise phenomenal regular season. Monty Williams and his men set a franchise record for the most no. of wins (64-18) in franchise history. The Suns looked like one of the most well-rounded teams this season.

Chris Paul, who recently turned 37-years of age, led the league in assists, averaging 10.8 per game. The veteran point guard stepped up for his team whenever it mattered, especially during the 4th quarter of games. The superstar once again proved why he’s the perfect floor general in the NBA.

Unfortunately, the Suns didn’t look the same come postseason, with them struggling in the first round against the New Orleans Pelicans, who showed commendable grit and grind. It took CP3 and his crew a herculean effort to not let the series go till a Game Seven.

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However, a catastrophe was yet to come for the Suns fans via the Dallas Mavericks, who caused one of the biggest upsets in recent times, eliminating Paul and co in Game Seven at Phoenix.

Charles Barkley rallies for Chris Paul amid the latter facing the heat.

There is no doubt that CP3 is an all-time point guard and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The twelve-time All-Star is known for his remarkable leadership skills. While it’s next to impossible to tag Paul as a choker, he has struggled during elimination games.

Paul averaged 3.1 TPG during the series against the Mavericks compared to his 2.4 during the regular season. The veteran had a mere 10-points in a Game Seven, having only 8 FGA. Thus with the heat growing on CP3, he found support from former Suns MVP Charles Barkley.

During a recent appearance on the Ryen Russillo podcast, The Chuckster slammed those criticizing Paul off-late.

“As a guy gets older, it’s unfair for us to ask him to still be the same guy he was 5-10 years ago. Listen, playing point guard at Chris’s size, he’s the best leader I’ve seen in the NBA, think about this, he’s won every single place he’s been, and if you can’t appreciate that you really don’t know anything about basketball as a fan. I mean, winning follows Chris around, when Golden State was pretty much unbeatable, who’s the only team that had them down 3-2 until Chris blew out his hamstring, his resume is impeccable.”

CP3 is a wizard when it comes to turning the fortunes of a franchise for good. The former Clippers guard was the architect behind the Lob City era, followed by his stint in Houston, where the Rockets almost beat the Warriors super team.

Just when everyone thought he was close to done after being traded to the lottery team OKC, Paul shocked us, leading a roster of young inexperienced players to the 2020 Bubble playoffs.

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Though Barkley makes a valid point, one cannot deny Paul failing to win games when it matters the most.