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Charles Barkley has taken aim at the ‘idiots’ doing ESPN’s NBA coverage for giving the Lakers and Warriors a chance to make the playoffs.

While both teams have winning records, they’re just ninth and tenth respectively in a brutal Western Conference, and would have to win two play-in games as things stand just to make it into the postseason proper.

Barkley apparently doesn’t view LA and Golden State as real threats to make the playoffs, and took a sH๏τ at ESPN on Thursday night.

‘The idiots on the other network keep talking about the Lakers and the Warriors like they got a chance,’ he said on TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA.’

His co-panelist Shaquille O’Neal then said, ‘They do have a chance. It’s called the play-in.’

Charles Barkley called out the ‘idiots’ at ESPN – which Kendrick Perkins did not appreciate

Charles Barkley: “The idiots on the other network keep talking about the Lakers and the Warriors like they have a chance.”Shaq: “They do have a chance. It’s called the play-in.”Chuck: “The play-in’s not a real thing, just for the record. That’s just something we made up,… pic.twitter.com/kFLZMsbyej

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 15, 2024

‘The play-in’s not a real thing, just for the record,’ Barkley responded. That’s just something we made up, Shaq. Just like the CBI Tournament [a postseason college tournament featuring teams which did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament or NIT].

Barkley’s comments were later presented to Kendrick Perkins, who serves as an NBA analyst for ESPN, and the former center fired back at the Hall of Famer Barkley.

‘Charles Barkley is not the sharpest knife in the drawer… everything that comes out of his mouth is not the gospel,’ Perkins said on the Pat McAfee Show.

‘Now, he’s an all-time great, he’s done a hell of a job in the media world and I respect him like crazy. But here’s the thing: we’re gonna talk about the Los Angeles Lakers, and we’re gonna talk about Golden State Warriors.

‘You know why? Because they have LeBron James, who is arguably the greatest to ever touch the damn basketball. And you have Steph Curry, who is a generational talent and a top ten all-timer. OK, and we have to appreciate them. Because when both of those guys are gone, what else are we gonna talk about?

Perkins added that the Lakers and Warriors were ‘really good basketball teams’ who had the misfortune of playing in the West.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry are trying to lead their respective teams into the playoff

“We’re gonna talk about the Lakers and Warriors because they have LeBron James and Steph Curry..The playoffs started right after the All-Star break in the Western Conference” @KendrickPerkins #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UzV0Mx6mwL

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 15, 2024

Despite Barkley’s harsh words, TNT and ESPN actually collaborated on their game and studio coverage during the In-Season Tournament semifinals late last year.

The Lakers are currently 36-31 while the Warriors are 34-31.

‘I get what Charles is saying,’ Perkins continued. ‘Do I think they’re gonna make noise, either one of those teams, in the postseason?  Hell no. But at the end of the day, we have to appreciate who the hell is on that team.’

The play-in format was first used (outside of the league’s COVID bubble) in 2021, pitting the seventh through 10th seeds against each other to qualify for the playoffs proper.

The No. 7 and 8 seeds have to win just one game to get in, and play each other first, with the loser facing the winner of a No. 9 and 10 matchup for the last spot.

Previously, the top eight teams in both conferences made the playoffs automatically.