Inside The NBA host Charles Barkley wasn't impressed by the Los Angeles Lakers after their 125-122 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. On the Saturday morning edition of Inside the NBA following the game, Barkley doubled down on his long-standing take that the Lakers are not a championship contender and that they wouldn't beat the Thunder and the other top teams in the West.
“It depends on the seeding because if they’re six, seven or eight and they have to play Denver, Houston or OKC, they’re not going to beat those teams. I’m not even sure they can beat San Antonio,” Barkely said.
The Pro Basketball Hall of Famer turned studio analyst has been consistent about his beliefs regarding the Lakers, even before Doncic was traded to the Lakers. He's never seen the Lakers as a true contender and has continued his skepticism throughout the season.
But yesterday's moment was different. As the Lakers guard, Austin Reaves, was waiting to be interviewed by the Inside the NBA crew, he had the headset on as Barkley spoke about his team's prospects. Ernie Johnson asked if Reaves had heard the conversation.
Reaves replied, “Yeah, I heard a little bit. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion.”
Currently, the Lakers sit as the fifth seed in the Western Conference coming out of the All-Star break. They're one game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and three games in the loss column ahead of the seventh-seed Phoenix Suns.
This season, the Lakers have earned victories over Minnesota and San Antonio, as well as a Denver team without Nikola Jokić. Thus far, they have yet to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Spurs have beaten them three times since their November 5th victory.
But the Lakers are in the midst of a two-game win streak and host the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 6:30 PM. The game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
