Even though he previously was very hard on the Celtics, Charles Barkley wasn’t expecting to see Boston embarrassed on its home floor Monday night.
But that’s exactly what happened in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics, riding a three-game win streak into the series finale, struggled out of the gate and never really came close to threatening the Heat’s advantage. Miami eventually busted the doors wide open in the second half and secured a 103-84 win and an NBA Finals berth.
Even though the Celtics were very up-and-down over the course of their 2023 playoff run, Sir Charles was taken aback by the lack of competition in Game 7.
“We never know how they’re going to play,” Barkley said on TNT. “This is one of the most inconsistent talented teams I’ve ever been around. You got two guys who are All-NBA, you got the Defensive Player of the Year, you got the Sixth Man of the Year. In the last month, since the playoffs started, a couple games you say, ‘What the hell happened against Atlanta? What the hell happened against the Sixers?’ Then you come out here and you get down three-zip with the first two games at home. Then you play two magnificent games, then you play three magnificent quarters, then you choke Game 6 away. I’m not shocked they (Heat) won the game. I’m shocked they won by 20.”
It remains to be seen if the Celtics carry all of those aforementioned pieces into next season. Although Jayson Tatum wants to keep playing with Jaylen Brown, the latter on Monday night wasn’t willing to discuss his future in Boston.
