After seeing another double-digit lead evaporate against the Nuggets on Thursday night, the Lakers are just one more loss away from the offseason.
That could happen as soon as Saturday night when the two teams meet for Game 4 in L.A., as the Lakers certainly seemed dispirited, at best, after a third straight loss after having an early lead. For Charles Barkley, a Lakers playoff flameout would be some vindication as he spent all year insisting the Lakers and Warriors (who didn’t even make it to the playoffs, losing in the Play-In to the Kings) were overrated.
Barkley has been consistent all year with this, even calling the Warriors “cooked” after the first half of basketball they played this season, and much of his frustration has been with how the “other network,” ESPN, talks about those two teams. Just over a month ago, Barkley called out the “idiots” at ESPN for pretending the Lakers and Warriors have a chance, and took his victory lap on Thursday night, even though the Lakers still aren’t quite done yet.
PSA from Chuck
pic.twitter.com/1VOC8g4VKe
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 26, 2024
“I just want to say to all you people who’ve been kissing up to the Lakers and the Warriors all year talking about ‘they gonna make a run.’ Know where they gonna run to? The Bahamas. Sunday morning. I told y’all all along. … I get tired of these fools on the other network. … I told y’all, the Lakers and the Warriors both stink.”
It’s Chuck at his best, and, honestly, he speaks for a lot of fans who have grown tired of how often ESPN discusses the Lakers and Warriors despite them spending all year in the Play-In race rather than the top of the standings. Given TNT won’t have Game 4 (it’s the lone ABC game on Saturday night, with TNT having the three games before it), Chuck couldn’t risk them being eliminated before he could cut this promo and went ahead with it after Game 3.