Philadelphia 76ers are the Cleveland Browns of the NBA, says Charles Barkley
Friday 7 February 2020 11:24, UK
Charles Barkley launched a stinging attack on the Philadelphia 76ers before their Thursday night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, comparing his former team to under-achieving NFL franchise the Cleveland Browns.
The 76ers fell to a 112-101 loss in Milwaukee, their fourth successive defeat that continued their slide away from the leading teams in the Eastern Conference.
Speaking on Inside The NBA, Barkley - who spent eight of his 16 NBA seasons as a Sixers player - was forthright in his criticism of Philadelphia, who were considered among the title favourites at the start of the season but currently find themselves in sixth place in the East.
"[At the start of the season], I picked the Sixers to get to the NBA Finals," said Barkley. "I think they are the softest team that has a bunch of talent. They are the Cleveland Browns of the NBA. They have got a lot of talent and they talk the talk, and that is it.
"Last summer, I was on the Cleveland Browns bandwagon. They came out telling everyone how good they were going to be and then got punched in the mouth in Game 1 and for the rest of the season.
"The Philadelphia 76ers, they just talk. They are weak physically and mentally.
"Unfortunately in today's sports, we always blame the coach. Shaq always says coaching doesn't matter, but this [76ers] team has got too many good players to be (22-2) at home and (9-19) on the road.
"That tells me they are not tough mentally. When everyone is cheering for you and you look at the fans and see your family and friends waving at you, it is easy to play. But when people are talking about you like a dog on the road and nobody is cheering for you, that is when you find out how good your team is."
Barkley's fellow Inside analyst Shaquille O'Neal gave a more measured response to Barkley's assessment of the 76ers, revealing he had offered advice to the team's star players, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
"I was at the Superbowl with Ben and Joel, sitting right in between them," O'Neal said. "I told them, 'you have got to get it together, I don't want to hear any excuses about the coaches, I don't want to hear anything about you two'.
"It has been proven that you do not have to be best friends off the court. On the court, you have got to show respect and they have to play.
"I am not going to go off and call them soft, they have disappointed us a little bit. I think if they get it together they can turn it around. It is a simple fix."
Barkley countered, arguing that, as a team, the Sixers had shown little response to the issues their inconsistent performances throughout the season have raised.
"We have been saying that for two months, three months now," he said. "At some point, it's… you are who you are.
"[Hall of Fame NFL head coach] Bill Parcells, someone I really admire and respect, said, 'I hate it when teams say they are better than their record'. No, you are not! You are not better than your record. Your record is what it is. You hear teams say that all the time. It is not true.
