Charles Barkley , the NBA legend is known for his dominance in the 90s. He was one of the best players in his era, as he defined the particular phase of basketball to be more physical and rough. Coming from a time when basketball was very different, Barkley shared his opinion on Joe Mazzulla’s recent action on the court.
During the Celtics versus Suns game, Mazzulla tried to block Royce O’Neale‘s shot after a timeout was called. He even gave his explanation for why he did the same post-game.
However, when it came down to the critics, Barkley did not like such behavior from a head coach.
I woulda knocked the hell out of him… I wish he wouldn’t try to block my shot… He shouldn’t try to block anaybody’s shot… Imma tell you why I don’t like it. What if… he stepped on his ankle. Charles Barkley said on TNT’s Inside NBA
Chuck did make a good point as the whole situation would’ve gone south if O’Neale was to get injured. From Mazzulla’s perspective, his block attempt was purely to protect his bench rules. Joe did not want any player to shoot in front of his bench and go back to their respective side and feel good about themselves. Whereas Barkley makes a point, which was the chances of a possible injury.
Charles Barkley wouldn’t have tolerated it in the 90s
Barkley was not only a talented player, but also an aggressive one. Chuck’s fights were something back in the day. There’s even a full compilation of the same, which tells a lot about Charles Barkley being an aggressive player in his era. It’s safe to say that if an opposing coach were to try and block Barkley’s shot attempt after the whistle, it wouldn’t have been a very nice day for the coach.
It would’ve been more interesting to see Barkley address his reaction on the same, face-to-face. While the post-game reaction from Mazzulla was a straightforward answer, the critics did agree it was unnecessary. Joe Mazzulla is 35 years old and in his second year as Boston’s head coach. To put it into perspective, Stephen Curry is older than Mazzulla, as he turned 36 on the same day.
Being the youngest active head coach, Mazzulla has also had a great start to his career. Leading the Celtics to the Conference Finals last year, to now leading the squad to the league’s best. As the season comes to an end, Mazzulla has a lot on his shoulders, with the majority of fans expecting a lot from the squad.
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