Charles Barclay on Zoom call, asking questions to Draymond Green? This is like a wide open layup.
Barkley spoke to reporters Wednesday to promote next month’s Championship of the American Century, the annual celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe. At one point, Barkley was asked how he would respond to Greene’s animated chatter if they played against each other in a game.
“You only have to score it once, with a good shot,” Barkley said. “Draymond reminds me of Dennis Rodman. Anytime I was playing against Rodman I would hit him as hard as I could early in the game and he would have stopped all those antics. I would have done the same against Draymond.”
Barkley also provided some clear insights into Greene’s performance on Sunday, when he led the Golden State Warriors bypassing Boston into the NBA Finals in a 1-1 draw as they entered Game 3 on Wednesday night. Naturally, Green avoided being sent off when referee Zach Zarba made no technical errors after a second-quarter skirmish with Boston forward Jaylen Brown (Green had been called in for a previous technical procedure).
Then, after the match, Green said during an interview with ESPN “SportsCenter” that he wasn’t worried about being fired because he “got differential treatment.” This caught Barclay’s attention.
“I think that was a huge mistake,” Barkley said. I have some retired responsible friends, and they were furious. They were texting me during the match saying ‘What the hell is up (with Greene)? Why don’t they just throw this guy around? There can’t be him acting like a fucking asshole.’
“I respect these guys, they’ve been in charge for 30 years and they said he should have been flung long ago. Then he comes out after the match and says, ‘Oh, I knew they wouldn’t fling me after the first technique.’…I really think that on Draymond be very careful.”
Hall of Fame striker Barkley has admitted there are unwritten rules that give famous players like Green (and Barkley in his playing days) more leeway before making technical fouls. This is especially true in the NBA Finals.
Barkley stuck to his earlier prediction that the Celtics would win the Finals in six games. He doesn’t seem to think they can win again in San Francisco, which suggests they need to turn the table on their home ground in Boston (Games 3, 4 and 6).
As for his ongoing feud with Warriors fans, which was on full display during the Western Conference Finals – when Barkley was part of the TNT broadcast crew at Chase Center – he was able to criticize and compliment them at the same time.
“I actually thought the fans were better in Auckland – it’s one of the most fun places I’ve ever played, when the Warriors were in Auckland,” Barkley said. “These San Francisco fans are annoying, to be honest with you, but they are great fans.”
Ron Krueczek is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: Tweet embed