Charles Barkley Didn’t Hold Back His Opinion On Milwaukee’s Performance

NBA on TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has never been one to hold back when giving his opinion on anything, especially when it comes to breaking down an NBA game. So, after game five of the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks series, where Kevin Durant went off and dropped 49-points on the Bucks, no one should have been shocked at Barkley’s reaction during TNT’s post-game show. 

“That was embarrassing for Basketball,” Barkley said. “To lose that game – like you could tell they were gonna lose the game at halftime.”

“When you do dumb stuff and it works, you keep doing dumb stuff.”

Barkly is referring to the Bucks and their style of play. Also, the fact that the Bucks held a 17-point lead in this game that they watched evaporate by opting not to force the ball out of Durant’s hands with Kyrie Irving out again and James Harden playing on a bum hamstring. The performance Durant gave us Tuesday night will go down as one of the all-time greatest in playoff history. 

Durant’s 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists stand alone as the first triple-double of its kind in NBA history. Think about some of the great scoring threats we have seen over the years in different eras. Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and the list could go on and on. Not one had accomplished what Durant did Tuesday night. The first-ever 45-15-10 game in the playoffs, and Durant went above and beyond. 

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There are many reasons for this night being so remarkable. First, the Nets won the game, which is the most important thing. Especially with this being game five of the series and Brooklyn being as banged up as they are. Two is the way the Nets won the game. The Nets trailed the Bucks for most of this game, and you could feel the momentum begin to shift toward the end of the third quarter.

One of the main criticisms of Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, since he’s been a head coach, has been his lack of in-game adjustments. Coach Bud as he is affectionately known has also gained a reputation for coaching his way, and that is the way his teams will either win or lose. This stubborn way of coaching is what led to Budenholzer being shown the door in Atlanta when he coached the Hawks. If the Bucks lose this series with only one fully healthy member of the Nets’ big three, you better believe someone in Milwaukee will be on the hot seat if not worse. 

No wonder Barkley got so upset after watching the Bucks meltdown in the second half of this game. To let the one guy [Durant] on the opposing team who could beat you about on his own, beat you dang near on his own, is unforgivable. Durant did get a ton of help from Jeff Green, who chipped in with 27-points and Blake Griffin with 17-points. What makes this loss even worse is the way the Bucks chose to defend Durant. Irving missed this game with an ankle injury, Harden suited up but was only a fraction of his usual self and the Bucks chose not to double Durant and showed him one defender at a time all night. As expected, Durant torched everyone the Bucks threw at him on this night. 

If coach Budenholzer doesn’t get it now, then he never will. You cannot be successful in this league being this stubborn and stuck in your ways. Between now and game six, the Bucks will need to make some type of adjustment. Otherwise, they will be going home early in the playoffs again this year. But this time, there may not be a next year for Coach Bud.