21 February 2023 , 22:41
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NBA legend Charles Barkley claimed the Golden State Warriors' dynasty is over as he clashed with Draymond Green during the live broadcast of the NBA All-Star Game.
The Warriors have endured a difficult season in defence of the NBA title, sitting ninth in the Western Conference with a .500 record with 24 games remaining in the regular season, and 11-time all-star Barkley believes their era of dominance is at an end after winning four championships in the past eight years.
He was joined on the broadcast on Sunday night by Warriors power forward Green, who has won four titles with the Warriors, who took exception to Barkley's prediction about his team's chances.
"The Golden State Warriors are cooked," Barkley said during the fourth quarter of Team Giannis' 184-175 win over Team LeBron in Salt Lake City.
Green snapped back: "That's crazy. You said that last year, but we all know you don't know what you're talking about."
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Sticking to his guns, Barkley continued: "Y'all are cooked. Ya'll are done. D-O-N-E."
In response, four-time all-star Green poked fun at Barkley's inability to win a championship ring despite a stellar career on an individual level. "That still leaves us four ahead of you boss," he said to the delight of fans on social media.
So far, it has been a season of mediocrity for GSW, never going above or below .500 by more than three games, yet in an uninspiring West they remain within touching distance of a play-off berth, avoiding the obstacle of a play-in game.
However, the fortunes of the team surely rest on when and how superstar talisman Steph Curry returns from injury. The 34-year-old has been sidelined since February 4 with a ligament issue in his lower leg and he will miss the Warriors' first game back after the All-Star break against the LA Lakers on Friday.
Last week, Curry said there is no clear timeline for when he will be back in action.
"It's all dictated around how this heals," he said. "This is different than the shoulder (injury), where it was pretty predictable where I would be able to get to a point where I could play and not re-injure it or put myself in jeopardy out there on the floor.
"This one's different because ligaments can heal on all different types of timelines. So there's like a window for each checkpoint.
"After the All-Star break, I'm going to hopefully get back on the court. Then depending on how things go from there, you can start to key in on a specific date to get back."
When and how Curry bounces back from injury will be decisive for the Warriors' chances; Barkley may well be proven right in the weeks ahead, but Green's robust response shows GSW are up for the challenge.
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