Barkley blasts Warriors for ‘going through motions’ in Game 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It doesn’t take a basketball expert to conclude that the Warriors didn’t play well in the first half of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, and at halftime, TNT analyst Charles Barkley took it one step further .
After watching the Warriors commit 14 turnovers and give up 13 offensive rebounds en route to a 77-50 deficit, Barkley believed that despite it being a closeout game in the playoffs, Golden State was just going through the motions.
When pressed by host Ernie Johnson, Barkley responded: “Ernie, when you have 14 turnovers, you’re going through the motions.”
Later on in the segment, Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal both agreed that the Warriors may be implicitly thinking ahead to Game 6 at Chase Center on Friday with a fresh scoreboard and the support of the home crowd.
“They already did what they had to do,” Barkley said. “This is a bonus, luxury game for them. They know they got Game 6 at home.”
Barkley credited the Grizzlies for playing well, but added that the Warriors, who were on pace for 28 turnovers, were “not concentrating.”
Related: Warriors need to fix first-quarter issues, starting in Game 5
Those are certainly harsh words for any team in the playoffs, especially for the Warriors – whose stars were around when they blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals in 2016.
The Warriors will hope that none of this matters come Friday night. But if they have to head back to Memphis for Game 7, their lackadaisical play on Wednesday – or in Barkley’s words, “going through the motions” – will definitely be scrutinized.