Barkley had previously hinted that he thought the Celtics' decision to trade Kendrick Perkins was a fatal mistake, but during halftime of TNT's telecast of the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks, Barkley specifically said the Lakers' age had caught up to them and they would not win the title this season.
Fellow TNT analyst Kenny Smith agreed with Barkley and said that even though the Lakers have proven they have the ability to raise their intensity level in the postseason, he still didn't see the team reaching their goal of a three-peat.
Chris Webber mentioned that Barkley and Smith's predictions may have been a little hasty, considering the Lakers had won 17 of their first 18 games after the All-Star break, but his logic failed to sway the duo.
Barkley has been wrong a time or two during his time as an analyst, but he does raise an interesting point about the Lakers and Celtics.
The NBA playoffs begin this weekend, and neither the Celtics or Lakers appear to be anywhere near postseason form.
The Lakers had lost five games in a row before Tuesday night's victory over the San Antonio Spurs, and the Celtics have looked especially vulnerable as they have tumbled down to the third seed in the east.
The prospects of the Lakers and Celtics renewing their rivalry in this season's NBA Finals appear to be slim, but recent history has taught us to never discount the importance of postseason experience.
Last season, the Celtics limped into the playoffs, and some of their late-season losses were every bit as bad as some of the ones they have suffered recently.
But once the 2010 playoffs, began Boston looked nothing like the team that had ended the regular season with a wh...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
