Shaquille O'Neal Defends Stephen Curry After Charles Barkley Drops The Hammer On Warriors-Timberwolves Series

The Golden State Warriors lost Game 5 in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and have now been eliminated from this season's NBA Playoffs. The Warriors lost Stephen Curry to a left hamstring injury in Game 1 of this series and somehow never managed to recover since. After winning a shocking Game 1 in Minnesota, the Warriors lost four consecutive games in the series.

After their final loss of the series, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and the other members of the 'Inside the NBA' crew discussed whether Curry's absence made a difference to what would've been the result of this series. Barkley voiced his opinion against the question and claimed the Timberwolves would still win this series if Curry played.

When Ernie Johnson asked if Curry would've played, would the Warriors win this series, Barkley emphatically said, "I do not". It may not have been in five games, but Barkley believed irrespective of Curry's health, the Timberwolves would win this series. However, Shaq and Kenny interjected Barkley's response immediately. 

Kenny Smith said, "I think it was very viable because the way everyone was guarding Stephen Curry in the Playoffs made it so easy. The overall extension of denial, meaning I don't care where the ball is, I'm just going to stay with Steph. So that allowed everyone else to (operate more freely)... That's an unusual defence."

When Barkley questioned Kenny's response, he also pointed out that until his injury, the Timberwolves were defending Curry the same way.

Then Shaquille O'Neal jumped in to defend Curry after Barkley's rushed verdict on the series. He said, "Steph is the one dynamic player that can take over a game. Now he's been his old 'Steph' in these Playoffs, Houston did this trickery defence where he had to be a regular player. But to answer Ernie's question, if he's healthy, he can give you one of those games with 30-40-50, and it can change the series. So to answer your question, I think if he was healthy, they could've definitely won this series."

Few Bright Spots For The Warriors' Future

Earlier in this segment of Inside the NBA, Barkley said that the Warriors are stuck with Curry, Green, and Butler for the next two seasons. However, in Game 5, two young Warriors stars proved that their future is not as reliant on the big three as the media makes it seem.

Brandin Podziemski put up a career-high 28 points in this game, where the veterans struggled on both ends of the floor. Jonathan Kuminga, another bright spot for the Warriors, was second among all scorers with 26 points. While the Warriors' front office is reportedly happy with Podziemski, Kuminga's future with the team remains a persistent question until he signs an extension or gets traded. This game was certainly a statement from these young stars that there is still some hope in the Warriors' future.

However, a new report claimed there's an internal conflict in the Warriors after Steve Kerr was unhappy with Jonathan Kuminga's treatment of Curry in the regular season. Therefore, while Podziemski's Warriors future remains secure, Kuminga may have played his last game as a Warrior if the front office now decides to get rid of him.