Charles Barkley Explains Why He Doesn’t Think The Warriors Are A Lock To Win A Title

Much to the surprise of no one, the Golden State Warriors look like they’re going to contend for an NBA title this year. The three-time defending Western Conference champions and reigning Larry O’Brien Trophy winners are sitting at 44-14 as they enter the All-Star break, the second-best mark in the league behind only the 44-13 Houston Rockets.

The thing with the 2017-18 Warriors, though, is they haven’t looked nearly as invincible as they have in past years. The team is still great, but Golden State doesn’t look like it’s going to waltz to a title.

For Charles Barkley, this isn’t the case of the team hitting a midseason lull. Instead, as he said on Inside the NBA, it’s proof that the Warriors aren’t the lock to win a title many expected them to be at the start of the year.

“The Warriors’ bench is not as good as it’s been, the improvement by the Houston Rockets, they have gained on the Golden State Warriors,” Barkley said.

In the Eastern Conference, Barkley had another take, saying only two teams have a chance at winning a title: Toronto and Cleveland. And when asked about the obvious power in the East not being among that group, Barkley was adamant that he’s ruled out the Boston Celtics.

Now that we’re at the All-Star break and every team is gearing up for the stretch run, Barkley can say with some confidence that the Warriors aren’t unbeatable right now. Who knows whether that will be the case once the postseason gets here, but for now, Barkley isn’t wrong when he says Golden State might be vulnerable.