Rockets: Is Lack of Title Diminishing Charles Barkley's Greatness?

Charles Barkley is without question one of the greatest NBA players to never win a championship. In fact, Barkley may be one of the greatest athletes in all of sports to never win a ring.

Barkley came close to hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy multiple times as a member of the Phoenix Suns, as he reached the 1993 NBA Finals but ran into Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls at a time when they were virtually destroying everything in their path.

Barkley's Suns were eliminated by the Houston Rockets in each of the next two years, falling within seven games of the Western Conference Semifinals both times, in similar fashion both years.

In the 1994 Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns went to Houston and stole the first two games on the road, only to lose four of the next five games. In the 1995 postseason series between the two teams, the Rockets were the lower seed and lost the first two games of the series in Phoenix, only to win four of the next five, including Game 7 in Phoenix. 

Game 7 birthed the Kiss of Death, as Mario Elie nailed the game-winning 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining on the clock.

It's not as if Barkley was a no-show in either series, posting averages of 23.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in the 1994 series and 22.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, however, Kevin Johnson was the Suns' leading scorer in both series' (26.6 points and 27.9 points).

Less than two years later, Barkley made his way to the Rockets, joining Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler to form a Big Three. The 1994 MVP had his best chance of winning a championship as a member of the Rockets in 1996-97 -- his first season in Houston.

The Rockets went 57-25 and secured the third seed in the Western Conference. Barkley was an All-Star and averaged 19.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. However, his own defensive lapse in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against the Utah Jazz sent the Rockets home empty-handed. 

After nailing two big free throws with 32 seconds remaining to give the Rockets a 100-98 lead (which John Stockton responded to on the very next possession), Barkley was late on a close out on Stockton with two ticks left on the clock, giving Stockton enough space on an after timeout play to let off a 3-pointer, which ended the game 103-100.

Barkley would remain in Houston for three other years but was a first-round exit in each season. 

So how much has not winning a title affected his overall legacy and greatness? It's an interesting question because HoopsHype's Frank Urbina put together his historical list of the top power forwards and Barkley came in sixth.

The players before him are listed below:

• Tim Duncan
• Karl Malone
• Kevin Garnett
• Dirk Nowitzki 
• Giannis Antetokounmpo 

Urbina states Barkley's case:

"The Round Mound of Rebound, Charles Barkley was extremely unique not just for his outspoken personality but for his dominance down low despite being generously listed at 6-foot-6. He was a beast on the glass and as a scorer thanks to his absurd strength and explosiveness in his prime. Barkley never got the ever-elusive ring, but he’s still one of the all-time greats at power forward with his dominant face-up and post-up games, along with his monstrous abilities on the glass."

Aside from Duncan, each player listed ahead of Barkley either didn't win a ring (like Malone) or only won one title (like Nowitzki, Garnett, and Antetokounmpo). One can only imagine whether Barkley would leap-frog any of the four in front of him if he had a championship (or two) under his belt.