Chuck is fed up with the Warriors and Lakers being so-called threats this postseason.

With the regular season coming to an end, Charles Barkley picks the West to have the toughest competition, and rightfully so.

While talking about how interesting it would be to watch the West in the postseason, Chuck opened up about the Warriors and the Lakers, who sit at the 10th and 9th seeds, respectively. Both teams have performed below expectations this year.

The reasons might not be as simple, though individual performances from the players were the biggest issue for both teams. Despite having a huge fanbase, some people are willing to consider the Dubs and the Lakers as a threat in the West. Charles Barkley did not tolerate such talks, as he went on to speak the hard truth about the two squads.

The idiots on the other network keep talking about the Lakers and the Warriors like they got a chance. But listen... The Play-In is not a real thing, just for the record. That's just something we made up, Shaq. It's just like the CBI Tournament.

Said Barkley

Looking at the Warriors, who are playing without Stephen Curry, and the Lakers, who are having a rough time, the two teams might not be much of a threat. Either team will make the postseason following the Play-In tournament, which would set them up against teams like the Nuggets or the Thunder.

At best, either team might not see the second round. While some might put their experience in the picture, the toppers in the West are just extremely better.

Charles Barkley is not worried about the Dubs or the Lakers

Barkley has said the same thing before, stating that the West is not worried about Golden State or the Lakers. Steph Curry and LeBron James have been the league’s favorite leaders to watch in the postseason.
Charles Barkley has had his fair share of controversial views about how men should behave (image via Turner Sports/X)
As experienced as they are, making a deep playoff run this year would be a huge win to pull off. The Warriors are struggling without Steph and lack of size on the team. The Lakers, on the other hand, have been quite off lately on the offensive end. Both teams have their flaws and little to no time to improve.

The hopes of making it out of the Play-In are slim for the squads. In 2021, the Lakers and the Warriors faced off in the Play-In for the 7th seed. The men in purple edged out, winning by three, as the Warriors went on to battle the Grizzlies for a chance at the 8th seed.

Sadly, the Dubs would lose to Memphis in a hard-fought game. The Play-In tournament has been in the NBA since the 2020 postseason. And there has been only one Play-In team so far that has outdone themselves.

The Miami Heat came from the bottom up, being the second team in history to reach the Finals as an 8th seed. Regardless, it’s hard to say if we can expect the same from the Lakers or the Warriors.