The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers played an entertaining game on Tuesday night that went to overtime, but Charles Barkley had seen more than enough after the first half.
The Celtics, who have the NBA’s best record, needed overtime to secure a 122-118 victory over the Lakers. Boston led 65-50 at the half, which created an opportunity for Barkley to blast LeBron James and company again during the “NBA on TNT” halftime show. Chuck asked why the Lakers are still playing in primetime games and constantly being talked about on TV.
“The Lakers stink, and y’all are forcing us to show them all the time like they’re gonna be good,” Barkley said. “It’s a conspiracy. Then we have all these clowns on television that have to talk about them every day. It’s a conspiracy. We have to talk about the Lakers.
“The Lakers are awful. We don’t ever have to talk about any other 12th-seeded team. Who’s the 12 seed in the East? The Washington Wizards. We don’t ever have to talk about the Washington Wizards, do we? Do we ever mention the Washington Wizards? No, but for some reason these morning talk shows and us, we have to show the Lakers all the time. The Lakers stink.”
Obviously, the Lakers are one of the most popular franchises in sports whether they are winning or losing. That is why they continue to get primetime slots and national attention. Barkley has also generated a lot of attention for the way he has ripped them, so he probably does not mind covering their games as much as he lets on.
The Lakers fell to 11-16 with their latest loss. Barring a massive midseason shakeup, they are almost certainly going to miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Something tells us Barkley will talk plenty more about them before the season is over.
