"They're gonna beat the Lakers" - Charles Barkley predicts conference finals appearance for Sacramento Kings
Charles Barkley believes the Sacramento Kings are a lock for a conference finals appearance in the 2023 NBA playoffs. The Kings stormed back into the postseason after a 16-year drought, the longest for any US professional sports team.
They finished as the third seed, with a 48-34 record under new coach Mike Brown. The Kings continued their surge by giving the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, a run for their money.
Sacramento saved its season on the road in Game 6 of its first-round contest against the Dubs and now have a shot of advancing to the next round with Game 7 at home. The Kings enter the series decider as favorites due to homecourt advantage. Barkley believes the Kings will beat the Warriors and the LA Lakers in the second round. Here's what he said on TNT's "Inside The NBA":
"The Sacramento Kings are going to the conference finals. They're gonna beat the Lakers."
🟣"The @SacramentoKings are going to the conference finals."
Chuckster is all in on the Beam Team 🔦🟣 https://t.co/sXHzrL94Qv
The Sacramento Kings' 118-99 blowout win over the Golden State Warriors in elimination Game 6 proves they are ready for the big stage. The Kings have shown tremendous poise in crunch situations throughout the series, and that's unlikely to change if they maintain their fearless approach in Game 7.
The Kings have multiple factors like homecourt advantage and momentum from Game 6 on their side entering the series decider. The possibility of them causing a first-round upset against the reigning champs is legitimate.
Sacramento Kings need a clinical performance to knock Golden State Warriors out
The Sacramento Kings will have an advantage in multiple areas entering their Game 7 contest against the Golden State Warriors. However, it won't mean much if they can't deliver a disciplined yet clinical performance against the defending champions.
The Warriors still have all the experience in the world to make a deep playoff run. They have one of the best seven-man rotations in the NBA. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green showed up in Game 5 on the road, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them replicate that.
Curry, in particular, has been critical in pivotal games since the 2022 playoffs. The two-time MVP doesn't need much to get going and will likely be decisive again. So far, Curry has averaged 31.0 points on 48/38/86 splits in this series. Thompson has been solid, too, averaging 21.3 points on 47/48/100 splits. He can change the game in crunch time with his ability to knock down shots in the clutch.
The Sacramento Kings did an excellent job defensively in Game 6 by maintaining their physicality. They need to continue doing that if they are to script a series win over the defending champions.