Anyone witness the Cavalier's Playoff Game 1 against the Wiz? So far, it looks like LeBron and Company are playing with some passion that has lacked during the second half of the regular season. I wonder if the stupid comments by DeShawn Stevenson and Gilbert Arenas had played as any extra motivation for them?
Barkley: Wizards "Dumbest Team In History"
Charles Barkley has never been one to hold his tongue. And during TNT's NBA Playoff conference call yesterday, the opinionated analyst called out the Washington Wizards for their pre-playoff trash talk.
DeShawn Stevenson fired the first missile when he called LeBron James "overrated," then Gilbert Arenas begged for the Cavaliers in the first round in his blog. Now they've got Cleveland and Barkley wonders what the Wizards were thinking.
"I think the Washington Wizards have got to be the dumbest team in the history of civilization," said Barkley, who apparently hasn't seen the New York Knicks the past few seasons. "I think for them to rile up LeBron, who is the second best player in the NBA, I think that's just stupid."
I guess we can assume that Barkley won't be calling Stevenson or Arenas to get him some NBA socks for his "footsies" anytime soon.
Barkley said that the Wizards' trash talk made him change his pick in the first round series. "I thought they had a chance to win that series...I don't think so anymore," Barkley said. "I think Cleveland was just going through the motions once they knew they were going to be the number four seed and now I think they're ready. I think that was just stupid for the Wizards to talk all that trash when they call LeBron 'overrated' in the middle of the season when they played. For them to think they are going to go into Cleveland (and win), they just riled up LeBron, the Cavaliers and all the fans."
Barkley added that although the Cavaliers are just 15-12 since making that huge trade for Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith, he believes the team is better suited for the playoffs - even though Cleveland remains the defending Eastern Conference champion.
"They've got bigger bodies," he said. "I think they are a lot better but the Celtics are (still) a lot better and you never know what the Pistons are going to do. (The Cavaliers) are better suited to make a run in the playoffs. Last year was just a fluke. This year if they get to the Finals, they are going to have to go through the Boston Celtics."