On Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers will hit the court at home to take on the New York Knicks in a marquee matchup between two of the league's premier franchises. The Lakers are looking to pick up their second straight win after blowing out the Indiana Pacers on Friday night without LeBron James in the lineup.
Prior to the game, ESPN sports media personality Charles Barkley hit the Lakers with a harsh opinion about their standing among contenders for this year's NBA championship.
“The Lakers are not a good team. I know we have to act like they’re a good team…They're solid. They're not a contender,” said Barkley, per NBA on ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
The Lakers currently sit with a solid record of 38-25 and are in play to secure home court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, but their net rating is that of a much more average team, which has many to believe that Los Angeles isn't as good as its record suggests.
The Lakers' lack of viable perimeter defenders has been pointed to as a reason not to take them seriously as championship contenders, as has their shallow depth in the frontcourt. There has also been some offensive imbalance in recent weeks, with Austin Reaves struggling to readjust to his third option role now that Doncic and James have been on the court consistently.
Still, Doncic is not someone that anyone wants to gameplan for in a playoff series, and the Lakers have as much firepower as anyone when they get rolling on offense.
However, people like Barkley and other skeptics will have to see it in the playoffs before they believe it.
The Lakers and Knicks are slated to tip off on Sunday at 3:30 pm ET from the Crypto.com Arena.
