NBA analyst and noted Nets antagonist Charles Barkley was in no mood to mark Kevin Durant's historic Game 5 on Tuesday night, instead targeting the Milwaukee Bucks for their "dumb" style of play that allowed Brooklyn to rally from a 16-point halftime deficit.
Discussing the wild ballgame on the set of the NBA on TNT, Sir Charles laid into the Bucks for what he said was their insistence on heaving up 3-pointers despite having a clear advantage over the relatively smaller Nets in the paint.
"That was embarrassing for basketball," Barkley boldly claimed. According to Barkley, he could already sense the collapse brewing at the half, based on what he'd seen earlier in the series.
"When they were doing dumb stuff in Game 1 and Game 2, you were like, 'Well, that's how they play, Chuck,'" Barkley told co-host Ernie Johnson. "So? They're killing them in the paint, but they're going to keep jacking up 3s just because that's how they play? You play -- like Herm Edwards said -- you play to win the game!"
The Nets stormed all the way back in the second half, riding the hot hands of Durant, who notched a triple-double previously unseen in the annals of playoff history, and veteran journeyman Jeff Green.
"And that was one of the dumbest games, and man, I'm so mad right now. Because they have a bunch of really good guys, but they played dumb, and they deserve to lose that game. Shout out to Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, but the other team had something to do with it. That was awful basketball."
Durant, who Barkley has previously dismissed as a "bus rider" for joining the powerhouse Golden State Warriors, played every minute of the game for the Nets, scoring 49 points with 17 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, while turning the ball over three times.
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