While watching “The Last Dance,” Charles Barkley took note of Michael Jordan’s words.
“He said, ‘I wasn’t ready to play in Game 1,’ when the Bulls played the Lakers for his first championship. He said, ‘We were hyper; we were nervous, and I was not ready,'” Barkley told USA Today.
Chuck recognized himself in that description. Looking back on his sole NBA Finals appearance in 1993, the Hall of Famer realized he also failed his team.
“I did not have us ready to play in Game 1 [vs the Bulls]. We came out nervous. That’s the only bad game we played. I didn’t have us ready to play. The lights were too big for them. That was my fault. I should’ve been more aggressive,” Chuck added.
Barkley’s MVP season in Phoenix
For years, Charles felt like the Philadelphia 76ers never put enough talent around him to compete for a championship. But all of that changed after he was traded to the Phoenix Suns.
“When they gave me Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson, I was like, ‘I can take on anybody now,'” Chuck said.
Arriving in Phoenix, Barkley knew it was his time to shine. He grabbed the bull by the horns, with the Suns storming the regular season by winning 62 games.
“Sir Charles” was crowned MVP after averaging 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. And even though MJ disagreed with that decision, looking back, Barkley doesn’t really care about it.
“No. 1, he didn’t deserve it. We had the best record in the NBA. Michael should know better. There were years he was the best player in the NBA probably three years before he won MVP, but the Bulls team was no good. The MVP has always gone to the best player on the team with the best record. It has nothing to do with best player,” Barkley said.
Chuck was happy about the MVP, but he came to Phoenix to win a title. He knew that, for him to get there, a Finals clash with MJ’s Bulls was inevitable.
Early in the season, the Suns had a game against Chicago that they lost by 17. Barkley was furious after the defeat. He was tearing up the locker room, making it clear to his team that they needed to raise their level of seriousness.
“Guys, that’s the team we’re going to play in the [expletive] Finals. I know that [expletive] Michael Jordan. He sent me a message, ‘You better bring more next time.’ ‘Told ya’ll we were going to play that team in the Finals, and ya’ll are out here messing around. We’re not even on their level yet,'” Chuck said.
The Suns responded by going on a 12-game winning streak and establishing themselves as a Finals-caliber team. They had the talent, they had the teamwork, and most importantly, they had the confidence to face the defending champs. Well, at least they thought they did.
Chuck’s what-if
After securing the No.1 spot in the Western Conference, Phoenix dispatched the Lakers, Spurs, and Sonics before facing the Bulls. The Suns even had a home-court advantage and a chance to take an important lead against Jordan, Pippen, and the crew.
“The only time I had a what-if is we had a lead in a game, but the Bulls then scored seven straight points to beat us. We called two timeouts to run a play for me. I remember Michael saying, ‘You’re not going to get the shot.’ I said, ‘You’re right.’ They doubled me both times, and I had to pass it twice,” the legendary forward recalled
Barkley made the right basketball play, but the decision not to attack the double team and try to score always remained a what-if in his mind.
“I had been in big situations before. None of the other guys had been in big situations before. So I should’ve been really more aggressive in Game 1. But I had already developed a pattern in the playoffs. I wasn’t passive. But I tried to let the other guys get going when we played at home. It always worked, but it didn’t work in Game 1. So that was my fault,” Chuck concluded.
Barkley finished the series opener with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists on 9-of-25 from the field. The Suns, however, lost 100-92 at home.
The Bulls won the series 4-2 and completed their first three-peat. Meanwhile, Barkley became one of the best players ever not to win an NBA title, and the only thing he regrets is not having his guys ready for the bright lights in Game 1.