Charles Barkley had plenty of run-ins with the Celtics over the course of his Hall of Fame career, but when it comes to the Knicks, the enemy of his enemy is his friend.
Barkley didn’t hold back Wednesday night in a segment on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” during coverage of the playoffs. The former Philadelphia 76er was ready to go off on New York, especially Knicks fans, seemingly for what he believes is a sense of entitlement around The Big Apple’s upstart basketball team.
The Knicks captured Game 2 of their second-round series with Indiana on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 series lead. If New York can get by the Pacers, a matchup with the juggernaut Celtics looks like the most likely outcome.
No Matchup Found
Click here to enter a different Sportradar ID.
Story continues below advertisement
That’s what Barkley hopes happens, and he’s not shy about the team he’ll be rooting for.
“I don’t care who wins (New York-Indiana), but I’ll tell you what, I’d love to see (the Knicks) get their asses stomped by the Celtics. That’d be great,” Barkley said. ” … Whoever wins this series is gonna get stomped by the Celtics.”
Kenny Smith pushed back on Barkley’s contradiction, claiming the Round Mound of Rebound actually does care who wins. After a brief deflection, Barkley just leaned into it before ranting against the City That Never Sleeps with some provocation from Shaquille O’Neal.
“Yeah, because the New Yorkers, y’a’ll deserve it,” Barkley said. “Because y’all think y’all the greatest thing since sliced bread. Come on, y’all ain’t that good in New York.
Story continues below advertisement
“Y’all overrated. Just because y’all make good pizza and bagels.”
In order for Barkley to get his wish, the Celtics will have to hold up their end of the bargain. Boston hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden on Thursday night, with the Green looking to take its own 2-0 series lead.
The Celtics, 13.5-point chalk Thursday night, are also massive favorites to win the series. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has Boston as a ridiculous -8000 favorite to win the series. In fact, a Celtics sweep is just +110 while Cleveland winning the series is an 18-1 long shot.
Story continues below advertisement
The Knicks could offer a little more resistance to a Celtics team that has been historically dominant thus far. It could even be beneficial for Boston. But if Barkley’s on the right track, it won’t matter, especially for the Knicks — much to Chuck’s delight.
Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
