NBA legend feels no team fears the Lakers or Warriors
The Lakers (33-28) and Warriors (31-27) are among the hottest teams in the NBA right now.
While the Dubs have gone 13-6 since Draymond Green returned from his suspension on Jan. 15, the Lakers are on a roll of their own, maintaining a healthy 9-3 record in February.
Despite LeBron James and Stephen Curry's teams hitting their strides ahead of next month's playoffs, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley feels the rest of the Western Conference has no reason to fear either team.
"I'm so sick of all these fools talking about the Lakers and Warriors," Barkley said on "Inside the NBA" on TNT. "We don't brag about any other play-in teams, do we? I understand Steph and LeBron are great, but ain't nobody worried about the Lakers or Warriors in the West.
"They're playing well right now, but these [top seeds] are not worried about them. We've been kissing their [selves] so much… we don't brag about the No. 9 seed in the East. The Lakers and Warriors are on a little spell, but they're not gonna beat the top teams. Period."
The oddsmakers in Las Vegas agree with Barkley. The Lakers (+4000) and Warriors (+4000) currently have the joint 12th-shortest odds to win the NBA Finals in June.
Unlike other contenders, neither the Lakers nor the Warriors are currently guaranteed a playoff berth. As the ninth and 10th seeds, respectively, they would have to endure some difficult battles in the play-in tournament just to secure a spot in the postseason.
However, if last year's Lakers have taught us anything, it'd be unwise to count out players with as much postseason experience as James or Curry.
Last spring, the seventh-seeded Lakers stunned the world by making the Western Conference Finals before falling to the eventual champions, the Nuggets.
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