Simmons emphasised LeBron James' lasting greatness by using him as an example. Barkley quickly brought up James' apparent exhaustion following his incredible series-opening effort against the Grizzlies. In order to further the discussion, Barkley provided a fresh viewpoint on the iconic Brooks-LeBron rivalry.
He said, “I think one thing really helped LeBron was Dillon Brooks messing with him. Because that energy he was giving LeBron, even though he couldn’t sustain game to game, it did give him the juice to get them through that series. And then when they got to play the Nuggets, the tank was on empty. They got swept quickly.”