Hottest rivalry in NBA right now might be Barkley vs. Warriors fans

DALLAS >> The Warriors built rivalries throughout these dynastic years that will go down in NBA history.

Along the road to championships, the Warriors slayed LeBron James' Cavaliers, Chris Paul's Los Angeles Clippers and James Harden's Houston Rockets, to name a few. Their latest rivalry, though, is a bit more unorthodox.

It has developed off the court, on “Inside the NBA” pre and postgame show sets and outside of Chase Center. Charles Barkley's feud with Warriors fans has become the NBA's best rivalry in these playoffs so far. And there are plenty of chapters to the rivalry already.

Barkley, an outspoken critic of the Warriors' style through the years, wasted no time instigating after the Mavericks beat Phoenix in Game 7, setting up a Golden State-Dallas matchup in the Western Conference finals. Barkley lamented a trip to San Francisco, calling the city “hell.” He also picked the

Mavericks -- who have won their first playoff series since 2011 -- to beat the Warriors.

“The Mavs are going to be better at small ball because Luka (Doncic), no one can handle that guy one-onone,” Barkley said on TNT. “If (Jalen) Brunson and (Spencer) Dinwiddie keep playing the way they're playing, this team will be tough to beat.”

Warriors fans took exception to Barkley's comments. After the Warriors' Game 1 win Wednesday, fans outside Chase Center behind the “Inside” panel chanted “Chuck, you suck!” during the live show.

Host Ernie Johnson reminded Barkley that he said he “didn't like” San Francisco. Barkley doubled down.

“I don't dislike the area. I hate the area,” he said.

Draymond Green -- who often appears on “Inside the NBA” as a Warriors' correspondent after signing a contract with TNT this year -- was on the panel after the game and responded on behalf of his team's fans.

“The area hates you,” Green fired back.