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Following the Indiana Pacers’ 122-112 NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinal victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday, NBA legend-turned-TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal broke down the game. However, his co-host Charles Barkley struggled to take the big man’s postgame analysis seriously.
O’Neal highlighted how the Pacers won because they got late-game stops which allowed them to go on a 9-0 run. He added that if they keep doing so, they could have a chance to win the whole tournament.
“I know this for a fact, if you have timely stops, you always have a chance to win,” O’Neal said.
“So, it was tied at 105, they went on that 9-0 run. How do you go on a 9-0 run? You get stops. So, if they can get stops, timely stops, they’ll definitely have a chance, especially as deadly as they are offensively.”
During the four-time NBA champion’s commentary, Barkley could be seen snarkily laughing on the right side of the screen. O’Neal took notice, calling out the former MVP for his disrespect.
“I would know that, and you wouldn’t, Chuck,” O’Neal said while making a gesture referencing his four championship rings.
Check out the humorous moment below (6:01 mark):
Charles Barkley on guaranteeing Celtics to win 2024 NBA title
Later in the TNT broadcast, the crew pulled up some fan tweets. This included one from a fan who reminded Barkley about his guarantee that Boston will win the 2024 NBA title.
“[The] Celtics were doomed once Charles Barkley made his guarantee,” the fan said.
However, Barkley wasn’t too concerned about the Celtics’ latest loss. Instead, he dismissed the significance of the In-Season Tournament, while doubling down on his confidence in Boston.
“Hey, Mukala Kabongo, relax, it’s a regular season game, boy,” Barkley said. “The Celtics are gonna be there in the end. They missed [Kristaps] Porzingis tonight. Relax.”
(6:36 mark below)
After defeating Boston, Indiana now awaits the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks.
