of Boston Celtics They had a chance to close out the 2024 NBA Finals on Friday night. Instead Dallas Mavericks Boston outplayed the visiting Celtics, 122–84, to extend the series to at least one game. Boston’s 28-point loss went down in NBA history as the third-worst loss in NBA Finals history, behind only Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals (when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Celtics). Utah Jazz 96-54), and Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals (when the Celtics Los Angeles Lakers The series ended with a score of 131-92.
After the game, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley shared his thoughts.
Barkley slammed the Celtics, going so far as to call their effort “unprofessional” in Game 4. He pointed out that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown “fell off” early in the series and Boston’s stars relied on outside shooting early in Friday night’s game.
“I said if the Celtics come out just hitting jump shots, Dallas has a chance,” Barkley began. “They came out disinterested. They were lethargic. I said if Jayen and Jason get a drop in their game, in the first quarter, they took about 12 3-pointers out of their first 15 or 20 shots and missed them.
“I still feel very good [Boston] victory [the] “The series was great, but the way we played tonight was very unprofessional.”
You can read Barclay’s full comments here:
Barkley still thinks Boston will win the series, but held up a sign given to him by a fan that said otherwise.
In addition to his comments about the Celtics, Barkley made other news on Friday night. Speaking on NBATV after the game, he announced that next season will be his last, after 25 years on television.
“There’s been a lot of noise around our network over the last few months, and I’ve spoken to every other network, but I’m not going anywhere other than TNT,” Berkeley began. “I’ve made a decision with myself that next year will be my last TV appearance, no matter what.
“And I want to thank my NBA family. You’ve all been so good to me. My heart is filled with joy and gratitude, but I will be passing the baton at the end of next year.”
You can see the Berkeley announcement here:
Charles Barkley said he’s no longer working in television after next season, and although he’s spoken to other networks, he won’t go anywhere but Turner/TNT. pic.twitter.com/sH89v0tI1D
— CJ Fogler’s account may or may not be noteworthy (@cjzero) June 15, 2024
Given the brutal honesty he displayed when discussing Boston’s performance in Game 4 and his own basketball future, NBA fans are understandably saddened by the news.
And I expect Dallas to really force a Game 7.
