Everyone who watches basketball knows that Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal get one up on each other at every opportunity. Today the big Aristotle won a bet he placed on the Miami Heat. The 4-time champion won by predicting the Heat vs. Celtics’ score, and brought out cash to embarrass Barkley on set.
Before today’s game, the 7′ 1″ big man predicted that the Miami Heat would win by 10 points against the Boston Celtics. Naturally, Charles Barkley asked him to bet on it, which he did. Then at the halfway mark, Shaquille O’Neal doubled down on the bet, suggesting that he could see the Heat winning. His prediction worked out perfectly for him, as the Heat did end up winning by exactly 10 points.
O’Neal knows how the Miami Heat functions, having won a championship with them in 2006. He knows that the Heat embed the culture into their players to keep fighting until the end. That is exactly what he predicted would happen in this game.
Then in the second half when he saw that the Heat were going toe to toe with the Boston Celtics, he doubled down on that bet. The former league MVP knew that the Heat would turn on the pressure in the 2nd half. No wonder Charles Barkley looked unhappy as he lost another bet.
Shaquille O’Neal thinks Jimmy Butler’s absence will be detrimental to the Miami Heat’s chances
Even though his former team took game 2 and evened the series, Shaquille O’Neal is not sure if they can win the series. His theory is based on Jimmy Butler‘s absence, as the prolific playoff performer takes the game to another level. Without him, O’Neal thinks the Celtics have an easier path to the 2nd round.
Jimmy Butler has built his reputation on the back of his clutch play in playoff games. Time and again, the guard/forward has made big shots and timely defensive stops to take his team to the top. The Miami Heat have gone to two NBA Finals over the past 3 seasons with Butler leading.
Therefore, this 1st round playoff series will be a tough task for the Butler-less Heat. Despite today’s game, O’Neal knows that the Boston Celtics, even if he considers them overrated, are too good to lose to this team.
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