Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal crush "dumbass" Celtics for Game 7 performance vs. Heat
BOSTON -- The Celtics' performance in Game 7 was frustrating to watch, and that was the case for fans and neutral observers alike.
While the fans' frustration was obvious, the TNT crew struggled to watch the Celtics as they missed shot after shot and allowed the Heat to blow them out in the decisive game of the Eastern Conference Finals.
"Watching these dumbass Celtics play is making my head hurt," Charles Barkley said on the halftime show. "I can't let it go, man. If you just come to the game and say, 'We're just gonna jack up threes, and if we win, we're gonna win. If we miss 'em, we're gonna lose.' They're 4-for-21. I forget what they were last game [7-for-35]. I mean, it's so bad to watch them play. There's no ball movement, there's no body movement, and it's just frustrating watching a team with this much talent just play stupid!"
The Celtics trailed 52-41 at halftime, and their 3-point shooting never really improved. They finished the night shooting 9-for-42 from behind the arc, and the starting five went 7-for-33.
Barkley also had some thoughts postgame.
"Well, number one, they played bad basketball. They're so undisciplined and un-fundamentally sound," Barkley said. "They win games strictly on talent. They don't even run an offense. That's what disappointed me the most. You know, you can win a lot of games on just talent, but against a zone, they just settled for jumpers."
Fellow TNT panelist Shaquille O'Neal couldn't believe what he had just seen.
"Listen, I'm not a shooter. I played with a lot of great shooters -- Glen Rice, [Dennis] Scott," Shaq said. "And the reason why I say mix it up, this is what the great shooters I played with [said]. If D. Scott missed two shots, he's putting his head down. Kenny [Smith], you miss two shots, you're putting your head down, you're mixing it up. When my team goes zero for 10 in the first quarter, you know what I'm telling everybody? Don't shoot another three. Shoot another three, and I'm gonna punch you in your face."
That comment drew some laughs from the rest of the TNT crew, but Shaq wasn't kidding.
"No, seriously," he said. "This is a Game 7 closeout game. If my team is zero for 10 in the first quarter, I'm going to the bench to say, 'Next person to shoot a three, I'm punching you in your face.'"
Celtics fans who watched the team absolutely live and die by the three all year can certainly understand Shaq's sentiment, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla clearly holds a different belief. Mazzulla was asked after the 103-84 loss if the Celtics are too reliant on 3-pointers and if a change in philosophy is needed.
"No," Mazzulla answered.
