“I Don’t Think That Anymore”: Charles Barkley Backtracks Bold Claim About Lakers Superstar Despite Dominant First Half Against Suns

The ongoing in-season quarterfinals is personal for Charles Barkley. He’s rooting for his old team, the Phoenix Suns. But at the end of half-time, they’re behind the Lakers 59-47. Anthony Davis is responsible for a third of that. Despite him showing an improved performance for the first time this season, Barkley has changed his mind about the Lakers star.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the quarterfinals in a nailbiter 106-103 finish. AD had a big part in it but it wasn’t enough to restore the TNT crew’s faith in him.

Charles Barkley changes his tune

Anthony Davis scored an impressive 20 points and six rebounds in the first half of the knockout rounds today. It’s a first for him this season to put out good numbers before halftime. Yet Charles Barkley is not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“I said a few years ago that he’s gonna be the best player in the world,” Chuck prefaced. “I don’t think that anymore. He’s too inconsistent.” 

If there’s one thing consistent about AD it’s Barkley’s critiques about him. He’s proving TNT analysts right that it is a cause for concern if 30-year-old Davis is unable to play at the level of 38-year-old King James.

Despite setting the tone in the first half, he was visibly slower after halftime. In a total of 39 minutes of playtime, The Brow made 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 1 assist. He was a little short of LeBron James’ 31 points.

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Barkley predicted that this was the Lakers’ game to win. “Anthony Davis should dominate this game,” he insisted in a rant about players not taking advantage of mismatches. Irrespective of the result, Barkley was noticing a lot of flaws in the players today.

Chuck put AD’s night into perspective

During the game, Suns’ Eric Gordan was guarding AD which had Barkley shaking his head. He was hoping The Brow would use that to his advantage but they instead missed a three. “Watching the NBA today, man, these guys just drive me crazy. They didn’t even take advantage of the mismatch,” Barkley said.

Barkley was dismissive of the defensive strategies teams rely on these days which happened in this game. Phoenix had 10 of 22 turnovers in the first quarter alone which again worked to AD’s benefit. It was the moment that Kevin Durant failed the game-tying shot when the Lakers’ victory was sealed.

Despite the Lakers moving up in the In-Season Tournament, AD’s skills leave a lot to be desired. As Sir Charles put it – “The Lakers are only good as Anthony Davis.”

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