With the way the first rounds of the playoffs are progressing, the Inside Guys are getting bolder with their analysis. Shaquille O’Neal is already seeing which way the Western Conference Finals will go. Charles Barkley may agree but he is not going to jump that far ahead. He’s looking at the Pelicans-Thunder series and he thinks there’s a clear winner there. Unfortunately, it’s not New Orleans that’s down 2-0.
Barkley might be implying that the Pelicans don’t even have a shot at turning the series around while their best player is injured. “Oklahoma City is just better without Zion.” He did not mistakenly put Zion Williamson in OKC. He’s bluntly stating that while Williamson’s hamstring injury benched him for weeks, the Pelicans have no shot at taking on a team like Thunder.
As they are, Shaq sees OKC as the top contender for the Western Conference title. Barkley as well as Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith also agree they are a very well-put together team. But if Williamson comes off the bench, OKC’s chances could dwindle.