Charles Barkley says ‘it would be a total gag job’ if Boston doesn’t win this year’s NBA title

As Boston continues to prove themselves as the top contender for this year’s NBA title, Charles Barkleys took things even a step further before their played the Nuggets this Thursday night. According to the Hall of Famer, at this point it would be a tremendous failure if they didn’t conquer this championship, especially as they’ve dominated the past two regular seasons and still ended empty handed. 

The NBA analyst insisted that this Celtics team will be the first to finally win a tournament for the franchise since 2008. “If [the Celtics] don’t win a championship this year, it would be a total gag job,” Barkley said.

“They’ve got everything. You’ve got [Jaylen] Brown and [Jayson] Tatum, you’ve got two of the 10 best players in the league, probably. You’ve got a great leader in Jrue Holiday. … I will be shocked if the Celtics don’t win,” he added.

Charles Barkley Says Celtics Not Winning 2024 NBA Finals Would be ‘Total Gag Job’ https://t.co/kb8dZPYrfn

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 8, 2024

Last week, the basketball legend talked about how the Massachusetts team can still improve their game, and suggested that Kristaps Porzingis should come off the bench.

“One of the best kept secrets in the NBA this year is Porzingis going to the post… The Celtics are putting him in the post and he is mauling these little munchkins they put down low,” Chuck recommended.

This past Sunday, Boston delivered the Warriors their fourth-worst defeat of their entire history after a blowout 140-88 loss at TD Garden. Golden State star Stephen Curry talked about the humiliation, especially as he believes that the Celtics are dominating and crushing rivals as they themselves used to do years ago.

“It’s kind of demoralizing. Then you feel like you have to play home run basketball on the other end to try to make it up, and that’s where the momentum shift kept going their way. Every little play goes their way, and you look up and you’re down friggin 40. It’s one of those nights,” the veteran shared.

The reigning champs beat the powerful Celtics this Thursday and proved they could still steal the show

Despite Boston’s dominance this season, it seems that Denver still have their number and could even steal the show once again during this year’s playoffs. The Colorado squad beat the NBA leaders 115 to 109 on Thursday, which was the second time they defeated the Celtics this campaign.

“I was proud of the way our guys came out and played tonight, especially because of the loss we took to Phoenix on Tuesday,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “I was proud of the focus the guys were able to show. This was a big time game, and I thought the guys responded well to everything that came with it.”

Nikola Jokic posted 32 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, which was his 20th triple-double of the season and his 30th career 30-point triple-double. Rival Porzingis praised the Serbian star postgame.

“He’s just an incredible basketball player,” said the Boston big man. “Some things I learned from him today, actually. He’s just so smart, so crafty, so many things you don’t see that he does on the floor that helps that team win. It’s incredible. Whenever you [slip up] just a little bit, he’ll find [Aaron] Gordon, he’ll find all these guys. It speaks to how valuable he is for them.”