Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has never been one to back down from a challenge – whether it’s on the court or off it.
On Sunday night’s TNT coverage of the NBA All-Star Game, Green joined the broadcast as a guest and quickly became involved in a fierce back-and-forth with analyst Charles Barkley.
In discussing the wide-open playoff race in the Western Conference, Barkley told Green that his Warriors were “cooked” and not a serious title contender.
“That’s crazy,” Green countered as the game continued. “You said that last year, but we all know you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
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For the record, the Warriors did win the NBA title last season, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games in the Finals.
Still, Sir Charles persisted: “Y’all are done.”
To Barkley’s point, Golden State’s path to a championship does seem a bit more challenging this season.
Star guard Steph Curry expects to miss a few more games after the All-Star break with a leg injury, and the Warriors’ 29-29 record is currently the ninth-best in the Western Conference, putting them in line to be part of the play-in round before the official postseason begins.
But with Curry back at full strength – and Green armed with some extra motivation – experts such as Barkley run the risk of looking foolish by counting the Warriors out this soon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Barkley, Draymond Green get in heated exchange on live TV