‘They won an NBA championship’: Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith disagreed over Celtics’ strategy

"I don't understand why they don't do that more."

Jayson Tatum during the Celtics' win over the Cavaliers. Winslow Townson/Getty Images

November 20, 2024

3 minutes to read

Charles Barkley’s take on the Celtics: Though the Cavaliers entered Tuesday’s NBA Cup group stage matchup 15-0, the night ended up belonging to the defending champion Celtics in a 120-117 win.

Boston dominated for large stretches of the game, and finished 22-of-41 from three-point range (53.7 percent). Still, despite securing a hard-fought win against an opponent that had yet to lose, the Celtics managed to attract a degree of criticism from “Inside the NBA” co-host (and basketball Hall of Famer) Charles Barkley.

Offering his postgame thoughts as the TNT program played highlights, Barkley took issue with a fundamental aspect of the Celtics’ strategy following a clip of Jayson Tatum successfully driving to the basket.

“I don’t understand why they don’t do that more,” Barkley said of Boston after seeing Tatum skillfully maneuver to the hoop. “They fall in love with that three. When they start missing, that’s when Cleveland got back in the game. They had a 21-point lead, then they went cold from three, and that’s when the Cavs came back.”

Fellow co-host Kenny Smith disagreed with Barkley, reminding him of recent history.

“Do it more? They won an NBA championship. There’s nothing more to do,” Smith countered.

Barkley dismissed his colleague’s critique.

“That’s when they had Porzingis,” he said.

“No, he wasn’t playing all of the games,” Smith replied.

“When they won, he was there,” Barkley added.

In truth, Porzingis played in just seven of the Celtics’ 19 postseason games a season ago, starting none after the first round. Having sustained a leg injury, he ultimately had surgery following the season and is expected to return later in 2024.

In a sense, Barkley isn’t wrong that Boston is a better offensive team with Porzingis in the lineup. Yet the Celtics marched through a playoff run largely without the Latvian.

Shaquille O’Neal, also a co-host of “Inside the NBA,” summarized the night with a straightforward assessment.

“When Boston shoots above 50-percent, they’re hard to beat.”

Trivia: What player featured for both the 1986 Celtics and the 1992 Suns?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He also briefly played baseball for the Blue Jays.

Scores and schedules:

As noted above, the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 120-117 on Tuesday. Boston will face the Wizards on the road on Friday at 7 p.m. On Thursday, the Celtics will make a trip to the White House in honor of winning last year’s NBA title.

On Thursday, the Bruins will host Utah at 7 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

Joe Mazzulla’s postgame press conference: The Celtics’ head coach shared his impressions from a highlight-filled game against the previously undefeated Cavaliers.

Taking stock of the perception of Drake Maye: Though the Patriots aren’t winning (the team is now 3-8), rookie quarterback Drake Maye continues to earn plaudits from the pundits.