Charles Barkley has spoken, and even Warriors fans would be hard-pressed to disagree with his sentiment.

The TNT analyst and occasional Warriors critic seconded the notion that a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals can only be compared to the 2007 New England Patriots going 16-0 and then losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.

“They had a terrific season,” Barkley said on the Mike & Mike Show Monday on ESPN radio. “It didn’t end in a good way. You have to finish if you have a historic season. The closest thing we can compare it to, you’d have to talk to someone who was on that New England Patriots team when they went undefeated during the regular season and didn’t win the Super Bowl.”

In an off-hand way, Barkley also mentioned the 2001 Seattle Mariners, who went 116-46 to win the American League West. Seattle however, never reached the World Series, falling to the New York Yankees in five games in the American League championship series and sparing the Mariners the indignity of getting to the final rung before being denied.

Barkley believes the Warriors won’t be ruminating on their 73-9 regular-season as much as being denied in the NBA Finals.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with the 73 wins. I think it has everything to do with not winning the championship,” Barkley said. “I’ve never gotten over losing in the finals. You put so much effort into getting into the big dance. You forget about the regular season. The playoffs are like two months.

“You’re the last two teams standing, everybody’s watching, and it’s so depressing when you lose in the finals. It’s going to hurt for awhile.”