In other words, "I’m not a fan of superteams."

Barkley spelled out the whole thing during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday ... explaining the combination of James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin is simply off-putting for him.

"If they win it, they win it. But I want to make it perfectly clear -- I’m rooting against those guys. I’m rooting against all superteams. I’m old school."

The Nets are on fire at the moment -- coming off a 125 to 86 blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, which gave Brooklyn a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. Game 3 is set for Thursday night.

Barkley says he'd rather see a team like the NY Knicks get to the NBA Finals -- because he likes the team and the atmosphere better.

"The Brooklyn Nets got a much better team, but when they play it’s like a mausoleum," Barkley said ... "And they got a much better team. I want [the Knicks] because that place was on fire, and I’m hoping they keep getting better because that place was fire. I’ve been there when it’s been on fire."

The Knicks balled out this season -- finishing 4th in the eastern conference during the regular season and showing real potential moving forward.

Just don't sign too many superstars this off-season ... or Barkley will jump ship.