Stephen A Smith called out Charles Barkley for dismissing the Lakers, and their recent streak might force Barkley to eat his words

LeBron James’s Los Angeles Lakers are on a strong winning streak right now, and they seem promising towards clearing the Western Conference. Even in this current form, Charles Barkley is not convinced that the Lakers are a competitor in the league this year. Stephen A. Smith, on the other hand, has seemingly called out Barkley for his harsh criticism of the Lakers despite their winning streak.​

As per Basketball Network, Stephen A. Smith, after criticizing Zion’s weight recently, has now taken shots at Barkley as well for criticizing the Lakers despite a good run of form. Stephen A. Smith declared that Charles Barkley should calm down, as the Lakers are surely in the race to make it to the playoffs. He declared that Barkley should see that the teams in the top three are in a race to win the NBA, and that there is nothing he can do about it. He advised him to calm down and enjoy his position on the show.​

Stephen’s exact words were, “Charles needs to calm down. Stop whining,” he then added, “You got a good job, you’re looking good, you’re feeling good, you’re getting ready to do the NCAA Tournament, you’re getting paid well, you’re chilling in Atlanta, and now you’re going to Dayton. Just relax, calm the brakes. A top-three seed in a conference is a contender. You know this.” These comments suggest Smith finds Barkley’s comments odd, at least at this stretch of games.

Barkley didn’t hold his criticism back for the Lakers despite their impressive performance

Stephen A. Smith might look a bit harsh on Charles Barkley, but Charles’ comments were also quite serious on the Lakers despite their comeback-level performance. After their impressive win against the Nuggets, Barkley commented, “My worst nightmare is the Lakers winning tonight, and I have to listen to all the crap on Monday on all the talk shows about how the Lakers are contenders. Please, please don’t let them win.” These suggest his odd approach to the team, which went a little too far.

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It looks like Charles is quite unhappy with the Lakers’ win, as he had already declared that the franchise is not a competitor to win the league this year. But right now, the stats tell a different story, as the Lakers are in red-hot form, winning six straight games. They stand in third position in their conference, and with things going the team’s way, their journey to the NBA Playoffs seems promising. However, the debate over whether they will win the NBA continues.