There is some serious tension at the moment between the “NBA on TNT” crew and the Utah Jazz, and even the people in charge of team’s official Twitter account are getting in on the fun.
The Jazz won their seventh straight game on Thursday night with a 129-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite Utah’s recent success, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and the TNT crew do not believe they’re in the same class as the Los Angeles Lakers and other top teams. Following the game, the Jazz took a couple of shots at the TNT analysts on Twitter.
The second tweet was a response to an awkward exchange Shaq had with Donovan Mitchell on live TV. Shaq told Mitchell after Utah’s win that he said earlier in the night that Mitchell doesn’t “have what it takes to get to that next level.” Mitchell wasn’t quite sure how to respond. You can see the video here.
Barkley also said he wants to see Mitchell get more rebounds and assists. Mitchell shouldn’t be too offended by that considering what he said about himself back in 2018.
The criticism from Shaq and Barkley should become an asset for Mitchell and the Jazz. Teams are always searching for sources of motivation, and that should be a big one for Utah.
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