Kendrick Perkins has slammed Charles Barkley's "asinine" verdict on Team USA's dramatic Olympic semifinal victory over Serbia on Thursday night.
Steve Kerr's team fought back from a 17-point deficit at Bercy Arena, with Steph Curry producing a clutch performance to lead the Stars and Stripes into Saturday's final against hosts France. Curry scored 36 points including a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than three minutes to go to erase the deficit and put the U.S. on course for a 95-91 victory.
But NBA icon and outspoken pundit Barkley was not impressed with the result or the performance, insisting the USA should not be tested on the international stage due to the depth of American talent in the NBA. And the 61-year-old reiterated his dissatisfaction that Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum continues to be left out of the rotation by Kerr.
READ MORE: Carolina Panthers team plane skids off runway as players and staff forced to evacuate
READ MORE: USA survives huge Olympic men's basketball scare as NBA superstars pull off comeback
“They shouldn’t be tested,” Barkley told ESPN Radio on Friday. “They should win. They got the best team. They haven’t used their depth the right way. Because the one advantage we had in ’92 – and they still have today – is when they go to the bench, they’re bringing in better players.
“[Kerr] has not used this team properly. It should never be a debate on guys getting to play or not getting to play. Listen, putting Jayson Tatum in an NBA game, he’s gonna be better than 99 per cent of the guys already in the world, but especially guys coming from a foreign country. You just kind of keep your guys on a treadmill and keep them rolling around.”
Former NBA champion and "First Take" pundit Perkins was not happy with Barkley's assessment and launched a staunch defense of Golden State Warriors head coach Kerr.
Follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.
"Look, Charles Barkley is one of the greatest power forwards to ever play the game of basketball. One of the greatest players to ever touch the damn basketball,” Perkins said. "And look, one of the greatest TV personalities ever.
"But this was just an asinine way of talking about Team USA and what’s been going on, as far as them representing our country. Look, this team has been balling. And they’re gonna get battle-tested. The game has become global. You got Europeans, they’re starting to catch — they have caught up with us.
“When you think about who Team USA had to battle against yesterday, [Nikola] Jokić is the best player in basketball. They had to find a way to grind it out. They earned that win. That was the best game that I’ve seen in basketball in the last six or seven years, to be honest with you. The physicality was there. You had to get the best out of O.G.s"
Perkins added that he has been proved wrong about the decision to use Tatum sparingly throughout the games despite his superstar-level performances en route to winning the NBA title last season.
"I was told a couple of weeks ago when I started criticizing Steve Kerr for not playing Jayson Tatum 'It’s fit over star'. At this point, Steve Kerr, Ty Lue, Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the coaching staff have done an outstanding job with Team USA and the rotations," Perkins continued.
"The bench has been phenomenal, outside of yesterday’s game. And so, when you think about what Steve Kerr and those guys have to battle, it’s not about the name of the back of the jersey; it’s the name on the front of the jersey.
"And now, we, as our country is one win away from getting the gold medal. See, Steve Kerr is doing his damn thing right now.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0