Charles Barkley is one of the best analysts in sports TV history. But he has an embarrassing blindspot when it comes to the Celtics.
Barkley, who apparently hasn’t forgotten about the way Boston manhandled his 76ers teams during the 80s, seldom says anything kind about the Celtics. That trend continued Thursday heading into their highly anticipated matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I still don’t believe in the Celtics,” Barkley offered. “I don’t think [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown do the dirty work.”
The Celtics offered a strong rebuttal to Barkley, defeating the Grizzlies 120-107. Tatum led the team with 37 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter on 9-of-13 shooting.
But that still wasn’t enough to impress Barkley. After the win, he said that was the worst game he’s seen the Grizzlies play, ignoring the Celtics’ performance.
It’s reasonable to harbor doubts about the Celtics after the last two years. They’ve woefully underachieved since the NBA Bubble. Like many NBA analysts, Barkley has previously questioned Tatum and Brown. At the start of the season, Barkley said he doesn’t think the two can play together.
Last year, he accurately predicted the Celtics were going to “pack it in” against the Nets when they fell behind 2-0.
But it’s time for Barkley to update his analysis. The Celtics have arguably been the best team in the NBA since Jan. 1, and won 13 of their last 15 games. Ime Udoka just took home Coach of the Month honors for February.
It’s absurd to declare Tatum “doesn’t do the dirty work” on a night in which he excelled defensively and consistently drove to the basket. He only hit one 3-pointer during his fourth quarter barrage.
When it comes to the Celtics, Barkley is relying more on schtick than insight. It’s lazy analysis.