Even though the Golden State Warriors have won four championships in the past ten years, they still have a lot of questions to address this season as they try to recover from a somewhat disappointing campaign that saw them finish as the 6-seed in the Western Conference and lose in the second round.
They hosted the Suns on Tuesday in the nightcap of the NBA’s opening night celebrations on TNT, providing an early benchmark game for both teams—both of which were without a major player. The result did not turn out the way the Warriors would have wanted in Chase Center as they lost by 108-104 to the Phoenix Suns.
“The Warriors are cooked.” – Chuck 👀 pic.twitter.com/ywws7cgBQy
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2023
Charles Barkley declared the Warriors to be doomed 24 minutes into the season. He could not digest what he saw in those first 24 minutes by Stephen Curry and the Warriors and said, “I try to tell you guys. Everybody can say what they want to, I saw ’em fools on TV today, ‘We are not gonna underestimate the Warriors’. The Warriors are cooked.”
Phoenix was missing Bradley Beal because the Suns’ newest player has a sore back, while the Warriors were missing Draymond Green, their defensive captain who is recovering from an injury to his ankle. As the Suns ramped up their offensive in the second quarter to quickly jump out to a 15-point lead at the break, Green’s absence loomed huge in the first half.
Charles Barkley ranks the Warriors as the 4th best team in California
Without Charles Barkley taking jabs at the Warriors, no NBA season is complete. The Hall of Famer didn’t waste any time in starting his yearly criticism of the Dubs, giving quite the divisive opinion on the set of TNT’s “Inside the NBA” prior to the league’s season-opening matchup featuring the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
“The Warriors are the 4th best team in California in my opinion. Old people don’t better, they just get older. I just don’t like their team going forward… The Lakers, Kings and the Clippers are all better than the Warriors.”
– Charles Barkley 👀pic.twitter.com/9FOU0PUhSQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 24, 2023
“The Warriors are the fourth-best team in California in my opinion,” Barkley said. “Old people don’t get better, they just get older. I just don’t like their team going forward — the Lakers, Kings, and the Clippers are all better than the Warriors.”
With the beginning of the new NBA season, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson are all at least 33 years old and are stepping into their 12th NBA season together. Trading for point guard Chris Paul, an NBA veteran of 18 seasons who is now 38 and hasn’t played more than 65 games in any of the last two seasons, was Golden State’s most significant offseason decision.
It is obvious that the Warriors are placing their faith in Paul and the core three’s extensive NBA experience and pedigree. However, Barkley is sure that a Dubs team with high expectations will finally succumb to old age. After their poor loss to the Suns, Barkley has one over them for now and it remains to be seen how Stephen Curry and his troops respond to Barkley and their haters in the near future.