Charles Barkley Is Taking The ‘Warriors In 3’ After Golden State’s Game 1 Win

For many NBA fans, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Warriors and Rockets in Houston was a fun, exciting game that saw Golden State ultimately pull away for a 119-106 win to swipe home court.

For Charles Barkley and Shaq (and some others), it was a depressing event because it spelled out the inevitable. The Rockets did well to keep things close for most of the game, reeling in Golden State every time the Warriors made one of their trademarked runs to open up a double-digit lead. However, Houston ran out of gas at the end and, coupled with an unfortunately timed missed backcourt violation, the Warriors’ onslaught led by Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson proved to be too much.

After the game, TNT’s Inside the NBA crew opened the postgame show with Charles Barkley and Shaq shaking their heads and Chuck explaining why this series was over and wouldn’t last more than four games.

“I am just so depressed right now, man. I am hurt tonight,” Barkley says. “Anybody who thinks the Rockets are going to win a game or win this series is an idiot. This is over, Ernie. You can’t, Ernie, you just see this game. The Rockets can’t beat them. I picked the Warriors in five, but, no, they’re not going to win a game. I picked the Warriors in five, hey, I’m taking the Warriors in three.”

This may be just a bit of an overreaction as Houston will point to a tough night from Chris Paul and a rough three-point shooting night from some of their role players as areas they can clearly improve, but ultimately, Barkley may just be right. The Warriors can also point to things they can improve on, as Steph Curry remained mostly dormant during this game, allowing Durant and Thompson to do their thing, and it’s very clear that Golden State has some margin for error while Houston doesn’t.

That’s almost always the case when the Warriors are healthy, and the Rockets will have to put together a near-perfect game to topple them in one game, much less the entire series. Barkley’s quickness in giving up on Houston might rub some the wrong way and certainly isn’t what TNT is hoping for given they’d much prefer a long, competitive series to a sweep, but he just might be right.