Does Charles Barkley like the Rockets now?

Here is a list of things you won't hear NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley says often or at all.

1) I don't like to eat

2) I like the Rockets

3) Women in San Antonio are attractive

4) Leslie Alexander didn't underpay me

5) I love advanced stats and analytics

That all changed Monday night. The TNT crew was talking during halftime of the Warriors and Cavs game and they started talking about the Western conference.

Barkley mentioned that he has the Rockets in his top four teams in the West. Of course, that's no real shock — they have the third-best record in the conference with a comfortable lead over the battered Clippers — but he went on to say that Mike D'Antoni is his Coach of the Year pick. He even said James Harden is the MVP of the league despite Shaq telling him to “stop it.”

"James Harden is the MVP so far," Barkley said. "Let me tell you something, what James Harden is, is Steve Nash on steroids. He is a more explosive offensive player, and now I give him credit he's changed his game, he's playing a fantastic point guard."

The Rockets have been getting a lot of love from the national media — our daily Rocket Fuel is so much more fun now! — Barkley is now just the latest convert. It really does say something considering how outspoken he's been about the Rockets in the past.