The Golden State Warriors took care of business on Thursday evening, toppling the Dallas Mavericks at home in Game 5 to win the Western Conference and clinch a berth in the 2022 NBA Finals. Shortly after the contest ended and Stephen Curry was named as the first-ever Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP, TNT’s Inside The NBA panel was stationed outside Chase Center in San Francisco and discussing what transpired in the series. With Warriors fans spilling out into the courtyard, it was a raucous atmosphere to say the least, and things escalated involving Charles Barkley and flying objects.
Fans threw shirts at Barkley, who has been critical of Warriors fans and San Francisco throughout the series. Barkley did not appear to be thrilled with what happened, getting up and gesturing toward the assembled masses while Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith attempted to slow him down.
They’re throwing stuff at Charles in SF pic.twitter.com/hmycI5biuj
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) May 27, 2022
Fortunately, this did not escalate further, though it was clear from the television broadcast that it was uncomfortable given Ernie and Kenny’s reactions were definitely not of those who thought Chuck was joking. It goes without saying, but there is a gap between trash talk and throwing objects in this kind of setting, and that is a line that was crossed by the assembled fans. Within moments, all seemed to be well, with Barkley joking and celebrating the arrival of his upcoming vacation, but there seems to be no love lost between Barkley and this particular fan base.