The Celtics rolled to victory in game five to stave off elimination, and Charles Barkley believes the series is likely going to return to Boston for a do-or-die game seven.
His reasoning was controversial, to say the least.
The former NBA great and current TNT analyst declared after game five that the C’s will have the best player on the floor in game six at MSG, which is why they will likely get the series to a seventh game.
“They can win in New York, because they can play free,” Barkley said. “And they’re gonna have the best player in the game.”
Fellow analyst Shaquille O’Neal quickly countered with Knicks star Jalen Brunson, but Barkley quickly cemented his take.
“I disagree,” Barkley said. “I love Brunson, but Jaylen Brown is gonna be the best player in that game.”
Brunson was far from his best in game five while Brown had a stellar first half to set Boston up for a monster third quarter, but Brunson was coming off a Herculean effort in game five to put the Knicks on the brink of advancing, and his postseason so far has eclipsed any in 30 years when it comes to total points scored through the first 10 games. Still, Barkley believes the reigning Finals MVP, even without Jayson Tatum, is more of a threat to take over.
“The pressure is gonna be on New York,” Barkley said. “I think it’s a must-win game for New York, in my opinion.”