Cedric Ceballos says 1993-94 Suns could beat Golden State Warriors
Feb 27, 2016, 1:11 PM
This is getting a little old, a little tiring.
Charles Barkley opened the door and former Suns teammate Cedric Ceballos walked in. He entered a room occupied by a bunch of gray-haired basketball players, those who think their old teams could beat the 2015-16 version of the Golden State Warriors.
“Oh, easy,” Ceballos told the Steve Gorman Sports! Show. “The Warriors have to go against our 93-94 team, with [Charles] Barkley, [Dan] Majerle, [Danny] Ainge, K.J. [Kevin Johnson], Tom Chambers. Don’t get me wrong. Draymond [Green]’s playing unbelievable, but he wouldn’t do anything with Charles Barkley. It would be so, so ridiculous what that guy would get done to him. And if you don’t believe me, just ask everybody else at his size who tried to guard the guy back in the day.
“Steph Curry, an unbelievable shooter, but [KJ] was a point guard’s nightmare because he was strong and he loved going to the basket,” Ceballos added. “That’s one thing these teams do not do. They do not expose Steph and the way he plays defense.
“I don’t think we’d have a problem with this Golden State team.”
Earlier this year, Barkley said he liked his 1992-93 Phoenix team’s chances of beating Golden State but he didn’t go as far as proclaiming it “easy.”
Ceballos turning his nose up at the Warriors comes on the heels of former NBA great Oscar Robertson criticizing the way teams play without physicality against Golden State, and former Warrior Stephen Jackson promising his 2006-07 Golden State team (and eighth seed in the playoffs) could beat the current Dubs.
Those opinions were expressed just this past week.
Curry called all the comparing “a little annoying.” He pointed out the Warriors aren’t doing anything to warrant the criticism and aren’t comparing their team to any past squads.
Earlier, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr struck back with sarcasm after hearing Robertson’s comments.
“Oh I’m sure, yeah,” Kerr said when asked about Robertson’s suggestion that players from the past could contain Curry better than the players of today. “I could have stopped this back in my time. Boy, I would have shut Steph down.
“Because athletes, you know, 50 years ago were much bigger, stronger and faster, more finely tuned,” Kerr continued. “So Steph might not have made it in the league.”
Can we point out that teams averaged 112 points per game in Robertson’s championship MVP season of 1970-71 — all without the three-point shot? Or that in 1994, only four NBA teams averaged less than 45 percent shooting (half the league does these days) despite more physical defense and without the current hand-checking rules?
Current NBA folk aren’t so quick to say the current offenses have regressed that dramatically.
At the very least, let’s at least hold back from criticizing the current Warriors. You know, they’re only 52-5.
