CLEVELAND -- Charles Barkley doesn't like jump-shooting teams, which means he doesn't like the Golden State Warriors. We know this because Sir Charles has picked against them at every turn, and during a January interview declared that Golden State didn't rank among his top three teams in the West even though they were 56-6 at the time and went on to set an NBA record for wins.
Barkley's skepticism about the Splash Brothers and their supporting cast is nothing new. He expressed the same opinions last year, and after the Warriors won the title they delivered a T-shirt to him featuring an "NBA Championships" headline with a scoreboard that read: Jump Shooting Teams 1, Charles Barkley 0.
Even though the Cavs had fallen behind 2-0 in the Finals after two horrid, lopsided losses, Barkley wasn't backing down from his prediction moments before Game 3 began.
"If the Cavs win the next two games, they'll win the series," Barkley declared.
I asked if I could tag along with Barkley for the first quarter of Game 3 at Quicken Loans Arena. Barkley invited me into a TNT luxury suite and explained his thinking in refusing to endorse the Warriors' style of play.
"If Golden State beats OKC and Cleveland, I will say I am wrong," Barkley says. "But we've never had a team in history that won it all shooting jump shots. Even last year, when they won it was because they put Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup and he made plays."
But isn't it hard to argue the historic results of the Warriors?
"A couple of reasons why it is working is they probably have the two best shooters in NBA history," Barkley says, "and I still haven't figured out while all these NBA teams go small against them. OKC went up 3-1 against them without going small. You can't beat them small, so go big and pound them low and beat them on the boards.
"All going small does is play right into their hands."
As the game is about to start, Tyronn Lue announces Richard Jefferson as the starter in Kevin Love's place. Earlier, Love was ruled out for Game 3 because of a concussion.
"I have no idea why Ty Lue is going to Richard Jefferson," Barkley says. "Why not play [Timofey] Mozgov?"
"If my team was playing we would have made them pay for putting all those little guys out there.
"People keep acting like this series is over. It isn't. And if I'm Cleveland, I'm not going to overreact."
Barkley settles into his seat. The Cavs, he explains, need to make shots and play with a physicality that was missing in Games 1 and 2.
In one of the first possessions of the game, LeBron James catches the ball at the top of the key with Harrison Barnes in pursuit. "See, right here, LeBron should go in the post," Barkley notes. "That's automatic two points for him. LeBron needs to be aggressive tonight."
Cleveland's defense thwarts both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the opening minutes as the Cavs jump out to an 11-4 lead.
"They just have to play from the front," Barkley says. "The crowd can pull them through. The crowd is going to be huge tonight."
During his first three trips down the floor, J.R. Smith looks off open shots.
"Oh my God," Barkley moans. "He's gotta shoot. He's scared like a dog. C'mon J.R. Give me something!" (Smith will go on to score 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting).
Barkley fidgets in his seat. He turns to fellow analyst and former NBA star Steve Smith and announces, "Channing Frye only played five minutes the other night. Why? The guy basically helped win the last series and now you don't play him. And you don't play Mozgov. Why? He can play against [Andrew] Bogut and [Festus] Ezeli, too. Hey Steve, what did Mozgov do? Did he date somebody's daughter?"
Cleveland's defense continues to suffocate Golden State's shooters. Curry and Thompson look rattled and Barkley can't help but seize on it.
"Take those guys away," he says, "and what do they have?"
With 2:32 left in the first quarter and the Cavaliers in front 23-10, Mozgov rips off his warm-ups and heads to the scorer's table.
"Oh s---!" Barkley shouts. "They're going to put Mozgov in the game! It's about time!
"Now let's be real. If Kevin Love doesn't get hurt, Mozgov never comes in. That's crazy to me. It's all about matchups. There's no reason why you can't play him against Ezeli and Bogut."
As Mozgov and Frye check in, LeBron checks out for a breather.
Within seconds Frye pins Curry on the block and signals for the ball. The undersized league MVP tries to match his physicality, but instead gets whistled for his second foul.
"See that?" Barkley says. "That's what I'm talking about. Do not let Steph Curry guard him. I'd never let these little guys play down there. Now Steph has two fouls. He can't guard him."
Mozgov, meanwhile, roams the floor looking for bodies to bang. He sets a hard screen to create an open 3-pointer for Kyrie Irving.
"People don't understand," Barkley says. "Size is a talent. You aren't going to stop Steph and Klay most of time. But Draymond [Green] struggled and Iguodala struggled against those big ol' Oklahoma city boys."
Barkley becomes more animated as Cleveland builds its lead.
"So you know," he says, "now Kevin Love is really screwed. They've put him in an awful situation. Now what happens if he comes back Friday? Do they start him? They have hung Kevin out to dry.
"It's crazy how people don't like him. I've talked to bunch of guys on Cavs security and they all say Kevin is a great guy."
Another Irving 3-pointer gives him 16 points in the quarter and the arena sways with excitement.
"Kyrie's come to play tonight," Barkley says. "That's why I think Kyrie can win this series. He can go at their guards and get them in foul trouble."
With 34 seconds left in the quarter, Mozgov screens for Irving but accidentally tags Klay Thompson. The whistle blows and Mozgov is charged with the foul.
"They called an offensive foul on Mozgov," Barkley says. "I don't think he was trying to do that. That's Kyrie's fault! He didn't wait on the pick. That's all on Kyrie."
As Mozgov departs and LeBron returns, the 23-10 lead has blossomed to 30-10.
"Big lineup!" Sir Charles cackles. "Big lineup!"
When the first quarter ends, the Cavaliers are on top 33-16 and shooting 71 percent from the field.
"This game was a 'pick 'em' tonight," Barkley says, "but I would have bet my house on [Cleveland]."
The Cavaliers win in a rout. The abode of Sir Charles remains in his possession. The series -- just like that -- has taken on a new tone.
"And wait till it's 2-2," Barkley says. "A totally different animal."
Suddenly, the jump-shooting team looks a little vulnerable.
"Just don't say I didn't warn you," Charles Barkley says. "We got ourselves a series."