Charles Barkley still hates the Warriors: 'They are still going to be shooting jumpers'
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley remains a firm believer in the fundamentals of basketball and believes the Golden State Warriors will run into trouble from shooting the ball too much, in an interview with Richard Deitsch for SI's The Crossover.
“I said last year if they win a championship I would get on my knees and I say I was wrong and that a jump-shooting team can win a championship,” Barkley said. “They didn’t win …They have a really good team and KD is a helluva of player but they are still going to be shooting jumpers. Can they rebound the ball? I don’t know if they can win enough games shooting jumpers and rebounding the ball against elite competition if everyone is healthy. That’s all I’ve ever said. It’s not hating on the Warriors…I just believe in playing basketball the same way. The game's going to come down to defense and rebounding. And easy baskets down low, that's just my philosophy. If they win, maybe next time they can go get LeBron, then they can win that way, and y'all can still think that analytics sh-- works.”
In 2014, Barkley incorrectly predicted that the jump-shooting Warriors would not win the NBA Finals. He did say Steve Kerr's squad would reach a new record for NBA wins.
The Warriors will open the season on Oct. 25 against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena.
Read Deitsch's full interview with Barkley here.
