Charles Barkley’s Strong Statement on Knicks After Game 2 vs. Celtics

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 8, 2025 3:22 AM ET

The New York Knicks have put a stunning stranglehold on their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics. Despite being considered the underdogs, they have won the first two games on the road against the defending NBA champions.

The series now shifts to Madison Square Garden for the next two contests, and one would think that the pressure is squarely on the Celtics to salvage their season.

But Turner Sports analyst Shaquille O'Neal said that Game 3 will be a must-win game for both teams and that the Knicks need to win Game 3 to put "serious pressure" on Boston.

Colleague Charles Barkley agreed while drawing on his own personal experience as a Hall of Fame player.

"I'm one of the few people in the world who have been in this situation twice," Barkley said. "... This gon' sound stupid. Game 3 is a must-win for the Knicks, 'cause Boston's got a better team."

"This gon' sound stupid. Game 3 is a must-win for the Knicks" ️

Chuck explains why from his personal experience pic.twitter.com/56cREe3JM5
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 8, 2025

As Barkley mentioned, his Phoenix Suns lost the first two games at home to the Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-five series in the first round of the 1993 playoffs. The following year, they won the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals on the road against the Houston Rockets.

They were able to win the next three games in 1993 versus L.A. to take the series, but in 1994, Houston responded with three straight wins and took the series in seven.

If the Celtics take Game 3 of this series versus New York, the pressure would shift to New York for Game 4, as another Celtics victory would result in essentially a brand-new best-of-three matchup while giving them home-court advantage back.

But for them to do so, they will have to figure out how to shoot straight. They missed three-quarters of their 3-point attempts in the first two games, and Jayson Tatum has shot a horrendous percentage from the field.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have shown the type of grit that is reminiscent of their Patrick Ewing-led teams from the mid-1990s that consistently contended for the NBA title.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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