Why Warriors can prove Barkley wrong once again

Why Warriors can prove Barkley wrong once again originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors in the last decade have grown to have their biggest nemesis be the closest player still chasing the GOAT on the court. Off the court, a Hall of Famer also has been one of their biggest haters.

Charles Barkley’s fiery hate for the Warriors isn’t cooling off. Draymond Green being his broadcasting teammate at TNT hasn’t helped. It only increased Barkley’s disdain for the Dubs.

He always has a reason to not believe in the Warriors, and though it was in a subtle way, Barkley recently showed his lack of belief going into next season. Speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole on “Dubs Talk” at the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, Barkley only named four teams he sees as contenders right now. They are the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

There were a few teams missing.

Like the one that played the Nuggets in the NBA Finals last season.

Or the one that had the best record in the regular season before a shocking first-round upset to said team above.

And, to really no surprise, Barkley left out the Warriors while talking to a person who covers them.

The Nuggets should be atop anybody’s list of top contenders going into next season. Returning Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. in their primes has Denver looking down at everybody else right now. But Bruce Brown’s departure will be noticed, and he’ll be a challenge to replace.

The Celtics traded their heartbeat Marcus Smart to Memphis this offseason. They are going into Year 7 of the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo while still having too many questions that are running out of time for answers, and Brown on Tuesday morning was awarded the largest contract in NBA history as Boston continues searching for his left hand. The 76ers haven’t made it past the second round once in the Joel Embiid era, and James Harden is hoping…