Getty Charles Barkley at the 2019 NBA Awards.
The Brooklyn Nets have willfully accepted their role of being the biggest villains in the NBA. All season long, no matter what arena that the Nets have traveled to, they were met by an arena filled with boos as they took the court throughout the NBA regular season.
Now that the Nets have officially kicked it into playoff gear, they look even scarier than they did during the regular season handling the Celtics in five games in the first round and already up 2-0 on the Bucks as the series shifts to Milwaukee for Game 3 and 4. The price of being as good as the Nets are, is how many people want to see you fail. For the Nets, one of their biggest haters is a NBA Hall of Famer.
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Charles Barkley Chooses the Knicks Over the Nets
The Nets already had high expectations resting upon their shoulders coming into the 2020-21 season, having a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on their roster. But when Brooklyn completed a blockbuster trade for 9-time All-Star James Harden in January, the notion amongst many was that the Nets were trying to ‘buy’ a championship and ruining the quality of the game by having so many good players. One of those people was Inside the NBA Host and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley who says if he had a choice, he would take the Knicks over the Nets.
“The Brooklyn Nets got a much better team, but when they play it’s like a mausoleum. And they got a much better team,” Barkley said per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “I want (the Knicks) because that place was on fire, and I’m hoping they keep getting better because that place was on fire. I’ve been there when it’s been on fire.”
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Barkley Explains Why He Is Against Super Teams
Barkley has been a noted hater of super teams in the past dating back to when LeBron took his talents to south beach to join the Miami Heat in 2010. So it is no surprise that he is rooting for literally anybody but the Nets to win this year’s NBA title.
“I’m not a fan of super teams. If they win it, they win it. But I want to make it perfectly clear – I’m rooting against those guys. I’m rooting against all super teams. I’m old school,” Barkley said.
There was a point this season where the Nets had 42 combined All-Star appearances on their roster between Harden, Durant, Kyrie, DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and LaMarcus Aldridge. Nets’ general manager Sean Marks and his front office have worked tirelessly to put together a roster that is built to deliver a championship. Many, like Barkley, feel that having such a surplus of talent on one roster ruins the quality of competition.
“I just don’t think that’s good for the game. Even though we didn’t win a championship, the Sixers were worth watching when I was there. The Knicks were worth watching. The Pacers were worth watching when Reggie (Miller) was there. Same with Atlanta and Dominique (Wilkins), so I just don’t think it’s good for business but these young kids, they all fold to peer pressure and feel like they got to win a championship or their life sucks.”
Whether or not you agree with the Nets’ decision to build a talented roster is one thing, but what you have to acknowledge is that they have themselves well-positioned to win the championship this year.
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Charles Barkley Explains Why He Roots for the Knicks Over the Nets