The Los Angeles Lakers were back on home ground after a long hiatus. While Laker Nation geared up excitedly to see their team bag the win, they were left rather disappointed in the end. Despite vital contributions from LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, the Boston Celtics towered over the Lakers. Jayson Tatum’s 44 points and Jaylen Brown’s 25 points led the way to victory for the Celtics, winning 122-118 on the night. With that said, before the end of the game, Charles Barkley had some harsh words for the Lakers.
At the end of the first half, the Lakers were trailing by 15 points. Following this, Charles Barkley was asked to sum up their performance on ‘Inside the NBA’. Barkley was furious with the Lakers’ performance and went off on a rant. However, this rant led to Shaquille O’Neal and co. breaking into a fit of laughter.
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Charles Barkley on the Los Angeles Lakers
Charles Barkley?stated that “the Lakers stink”. He claimed that the NBA is forcing people to portray the Lakers in a positive light. However, he doesn’t believe that the Lakers will be good this season. He even claimed for it to be a conspiracy.
Barkley said, “We’ve got all these clowns on television, have to talk about them every day. That’s a conspiracy”. He went on to call the Lakers “awful”. The 11-time All-Star pointed out that the Lakers are currently placed 12th on the Western Conference?table. He questioned why people aren’t made to talk about the Washington Wizards, who are placed 12th on the Eastern Conference table.
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Ernie Johnson reminded Barkley that this would be the last time they would see the Lakers play this year. Suprise took over Barkley. However, his co-hosts were quick to remind him that the year 2022 is on the verge of closure. This sent the studio into a fit of laughter while Shaquille O’Neal called Barkley a “big dummy”.
LeBron James and co. lose to the Boston Celtics in OT
Throughout the game, the Boston Celtics managed to strike down the Los Angeles Lakers‘ defense and maintain a lead. The third quarter of the game saw the Celtics’ biggest lead when the scoreboard read 79-59.
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However, the Lakers, courtesy of Anthony Davis and LeBron James managed to reduce the lead to 6 points by the end of the third quarter. By the fourth quarter, the Lakers were in the front seat, grabbing a lead and steering past the Celtics.
However, this didn’t last for long. The momentum moved between the teams like a pendulum as Jayson Tatum doubled down on the Lakers, sending the game into overtime. At the ring of the overtime buzzer, the Celtics managed to beat the Lakers by 4 points.
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What do you think about Charles Barkley’s comments on the Lakers? Let us know in the comments below.