Prior to squaring off with the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley thought nobody in the NBA was in the same class as the Boston Celtics.
"No disrespect to the champion (Denver) Nuggets or the LA Clippers, those are the second and third best teams in the NBA," Barkley said. "There's nobody in the NBA on the level with the Celtics right now. They are the best team. I think they're the best team by far."
Barkley didn't even have the Bucks in consideration as one of the league's top teams. But the Bucks beg to differ, especially after Thursday's result.
Milwaukee throttled the Celtics, 135-102, at Fiserv Forum and forced Joe Mazzulla to practically wave the white flag at halftime as he rested his starters the entire second half with the Bucks leading by 37 at the break.
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And after the dominant win by the Bucks over the NBA-best Celtics, Milwaukee had a response for Barkley on social media.
"You sure about that?" the Bucks posted on the X platform.
Even with the win to improve their record to 26-12, the Bucks are still three games behind the Celtics, who stand atop the Eastern Conference at 29-9.
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The Celtics and Bucks play two more times in the regular season, giving both sides a chance to flex their muscles before possibly meeting in the playoffs.
Featured image via Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports Images
