The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have endured tough campaigns and sit 9th and 10th in the Western Conference standings respectively. Despite their status as play-in teams, some analysts claim teams in the Western Conference should be wary about them in the playoffs. However, Hall of Famers Charles Barkley is not among them.
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On Thursday’s pregame show of NBA on TNT, the former Phoenix Suns star laughed off the Lakers and Warriors title odds and slammed fellow analysts for claiming the two teams can venture deep into the playoffs. He said,
“I’m so sick of these fools on other networks talking about the Lakers and the Warriors. 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. These teams in the West are not worried about the Lakers and the Warriors. We’ve been kissing these guys’ ass so much. We don’t brag about the No. 9 team in the East. They ain’t got no chance.”
Barkley gave LeBron James props for his sensational performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. He added that the Lakers and Warriors will embark on small winning runs due to the talent on their rosters, but top teams in the West aren’t scared of facing them in the playoffs.
The Lakers are 7-3 over their last ten games, while the Warriors are 8-2. The gap between sixth-placed New Orleans Pelicans and 10th-placed Warriors is only 3.5 games. The Lakers and Warriors can secure their playoff berth even without participating in the play-in if they can extend their current form to the end of the regular season.
It’s a tough ask, but both teams boast multiple Hall of Famers on their rosters. If they can pull it off, their detractors, including Barkley, must acknowledge their legitimacy as title contenders.
How the Lakers and Warriors have fared against the West’s best
The Lakers and Warriors haven’t fared well against teams above them in the Western Conference standings. They have a winning record against the Clippers (3-1), Phoenix Suns (3-2), Oklahoma City Thunder (2-1), and the New Orleans Pelicans (2-1). They are 0-2 against the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and are 1-2 against the Dallas Mavericks. Overall, the Lakers are an underwhelming 10-13 against teams above them in the West.
The Warriors have been significantly worse than against the top nine teams in the West. They are tied 1-1 against the Lakers, 1-1 against the Pelicans, and 2-2 against the Kings in their season series against those franchises. The team has a losing record against the remaining six teams above them in the table. They are 0-2 against the Timberwolves, 1-3 against the Thunder, 0-4 against the Nuggets, 1-3 against the Clippers, 1-3 against the Suns, and 0-1 against the Mavericks. That’s a cumulative record of 7-20 against the top nine teams in the Western Conference.
Both teams can improve their records against teams above them in their remaining regular season fixtures. However, as things stand, Barkley is right. The best teams in the Western Conference have no reason to be scared of the Lakers or the Warriors, despite the Hall of Famers on their roster.
