TNT's Charles Barkley 'disgusted by the Trail Blazers,' calls defense 'horrible'

technical details

is_video => true
is_chrome_page => null
article_body => "TNT\u2019s Charles Barkley has been one of the biggest supporters of the Portland Trail Blazers for the last few seasons.<\/p>\r\n\r\nDespite Barkley\u2019s backing of the team, each season they seem to let him down. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m just disgusted by the Trail Blazers,\u201d Barkley said on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R__cfq9nkCY\">Inside The NBA<\/a> Thursday night. <\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/talkin-blazers-frye\">Listen & Subscribe to the Talkin' Blazers podcast<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<drupal-url data-embed-button=\"url\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/talkin-blazers-frye\/episodes\/46d1b345-262d-445b-b9c1-8e7b8a093146\" data-entity-label=\"Embed social\" data-timestamp=\"1622227634\" data-url-provider=\"ART19\"><\/drupal-url>\r\n\r\nIn Game 3 against the Nuggets, they held a nine-point lead midway through the first quarter, before squandering it and being down by nine to end the period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cWe were not ready to play tonight,\u201d said Nuggets head coach Micahel Malone. \u201cThey came out, punched us in the mouth. Proud of our guys because we answered right away, we went on a run of our own, a big run to close out that first quarter to get back in the game. That cannot be our mindset to start game four. We have to come out with a hit first mentality and play with a lead, instead of playing from behind.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<drupal-url data-embed-button=\"url\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R__cfq9nkCY\" data-entity-label=\"Embed social\" data-timestamp=\"1622227574\" data-url-provider=\"YouTube\"><\/drupal-url>\r\n\r\nOnce Denver overcame in the first quarter, they led the rest of the game, which included a 12-point lead.<\/p>\r\n\r\nAs \u201cdisgusted\u201d Barkley is, Portland\u2019s defense is nothing new. They succeed when they\u2019re scoring at a high clip and play average defense.<\/p>\r\n\r\nFor the last few seasons, the Blazers have always been a great offensive team and below-average defensive team.<\/p>\r\n\r\nSince the 2017-\u201918 season, their defensive rating ranking has gotten lower from sixth, 16th, 27th, and 29th this past season. <\/p>\r\n\r\nThey\u2019re the only team in the bottom 10 in opponent field-goal percentage to make the playoffs. A clear indicator of the gap between their offense and defense.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cMy team is just horrible defensively,\u201d said Barkley.<\/p>\r\n\r\nDuring this year's playoffs, the team is top five in offensive rating and third to last in defensive rating. A summary of the Blazers in recent memory.<\/p>\r\n\r\nThe Nuggets are currently top five in the playoffs in offensive rating, field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, and eFG%.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe size of Joker over the course of the game took its toll,\u201d said Kenny Smith. \u201cI think early in the game when they had Nurkic in the game, he would take him outside. That\u2019s what he\u2019s been doing all year. That\u2019s why he\u2019s the leading candidate for MVP.\u201d \r\nPortland has struggled to contain Nikola Jokic. They\u2019ve been able to decrease his passes per game by 6.6 from the regular-season to the playoffs, but his uptick in offensive production is what\u2019s decimated them. He\u2019s averaging 5.7 more shots.<\/p>\r\n\r\nBarkley may be realizing what\u2019s been a reality for years in regards to the Blazers defense.<\/p>\r\n"
created => 1622225794
changed => 1622227782
status => true
hero_image_credit => "USATI "
tags => null
field_bean_single_col => null
section => null
orig_image => {"alt":"","title":"","width":"1920","height":"1081","uri":"public:\/\/article\/hero\/Barkley_Charles_USATSI_12489175.jpg","timestamp":1602086267}
image => {"alt":"","title":"","width":"1920","height":"1081","uri":"public:\/\/article\/hero\/Barkley_Charles_USATSI_12489175.jpg","timestamp":1602086267}
video_url => "https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/northwest\/video\/blazers-need-find-way-keep-nurk-out-foul-trouble"
is_mediaid => true
mediaid => "hlZ2hJx7Z0Y8"
video_autoplay => null
video_automute => null
mpx_account_id => "BxmELC"
player_url => "https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/vplayer\/p\/BxmELC\/northwest_main\/select\/media\/hlZ2hJx7Z0Y8?form=html&autoPlay=false"
chrome_data => null
description => "Barkley had some choice words about Portland following its Game 3 loss to Denver. "
league => "NBA"
league_id => "101"
sport => "Basketball"
sport_id => "6"
image_credit => "USATI "
no_promo => false
no_trending_in_body => false
no_recirc => false
no_trend => false
short_title => "Charles Barkley 'disgusted by the Trail Blazers,' calls defense 'horrible'"
sponsorship_type => "presented_by"
type => "article"
alias => "\/northwest\/trail-blazers\/tnts-charles-barkley-disgusted-trail-blazers-calls-defense-horrible"
title => "TNT's Charles Barkley 'disgusted by the Trail Blazers,' calls defense 'horrible'"
nid => "474276"
author_0 => "Clevis Murray"
author_0_id => "450381"
mps => {"author_0":"Clevis Murray"}
region => "northwest"
region_id => "5"
sponsor => null
sponsor_id => null
team_id => "136"
team => "Trail Blazers"
published => 1622225664
article_type => "short"
meta => {"file":"\/mnt\/gfs\/rsnunited\/sites\/default\/files\/archive\/article\/northwest\/trail-blazers\/tnts-charles-barkley-disgusted-trail-blazers-calls-defense-horrible.json","assets":["public:\/\/article\/hero\/Barkley_Charles_USATSI_12489175.jpg"]}

Trail Blazers

/ by Clevis Murray

Trail Blazers

TNT’s Charles Barkley has been one of the biggest supporters of the Portland Trail Blazers for the last few seasons.

Despite Barkley’s backing of the team, each season they seem to let him down.

“I’m just disgusted by the Trail Blazers,” Barkley said on Inside The NBA Thursday night.

Listen & Subscribe to the Talkin' Blazers podcast

In Game 3 against the Nuggets, they held a nine-point lead midway through the first quarter, before squandering it and being down by nine to end the period.

“We were not ready to play tonight,” said Nuggets head coach Micahel Malone. “They came out, punched us in the mouth. Proud of our guys because we answered right away, we went on a run of our own, a big run to close out that first quarter to get back in the game. That cannot be our mindset to start game four. We have to come out with a hit first mentality and play with a lead, instead of playing from behind.”

Once Denver overcame in the first quarter, they led the rest of the game, which included a 12-point lead.

As “disgusted” Barkley is, Portland’s defense is nothing new. They succeed when they’re scoring at a high clip and play average defense.

For the last few seasons, the Blazers have always been a great offensive team and below-average defensive team.

Since the 2017-’18 season, their defensive rating ranking has gotten lower from sixth, 16th, 27th, and 29th this past season.

They’re the only team in the bottom 10 in opponent field-goal percentage to make the playoffs. A clear indicator of the gap between their offense and defense.

“My team is just horrible defensively,” said Barkley.

During this year's playoffs, the team is top five in offensive rating and third to last in defensive rating. A summary of the Blazers in recent memory.

The Nuggets are currently top five in the playoffs in offensive rating, field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, and eFG%.

“The size of Joker over the course of the game took its toll,” said Kenny Smith. “I think early in the game when they had Nurkic in the game, he would take him outside. That’s what he’s been doing all year. That’s why he’s the leading candidate for MVP.”
Portland has struggled to contain Nikola Jokic. They’ve been able to decrease his passes per game by 6.6 from the regular-season to the playoffs, but his uptick in offensive production is what’s decimated them. He’s averaging 5.7 more shots.

Barkley may be realizing what’s been a reality for years in regards to the Blazers defense.