It's hard to deny that the Los Angeles Lakers are currently one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The fact that they've gone 8-2 in their last 10 games is a clear testament to this fact.
Be that as it may, Charles Barkley isn't quite ready to jump on the Lakers hype train just yet. On a recent NBA on TNT broadcast, the Hall of Famer just had to remind LeBron James and Co. about the bitter reality behind their recent resurgence:
“Hey, if the playoffs started today, they wouldn’t even be in the Play-In Game,” Barkley said.
“Hey, if the playoffs started today, they wouldn’t even be in the Play-In Game”
Chuck is still hesitant to buy in on the Lakers 😅 pic.twitter.com/ElIJZkesOi
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 7, 2022
That's harsh. Then again, it's also completely true.
To be fair to the Lakers, the West is extremely tight right now. They may currently be 13th with a 10-12 record, but what Sir Charles failed to note is how they're actually just five games behind the top-seeded Phoenix Suns. At the moment, LA is 2.5 games behind the sixth-seed Los Angeles Clippers, and two games behind the Utah Jazz, who currently occupy the eighth seed. To say that the race is heating up in the Western Conference right now would be a complete understatement.
The Lakers have another big game on Tuesday as LeBron goes home to face off against his beloved Cleveland Cavaliers. This is going to be the third game of their longest road trip of the season (six games), and another win will see LA climb up in the standings yet again.
Barkley may be stating facts right now, but Lakers fans are hoping that he ends up eating his words (again) sooner rather than later.
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