Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

'He ain’t the greatest thing since sliced bread!' Charles Barkley FLAMES Michael Malone over predicting Nuggets to get swept

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Joseph Varghese | Last updated 5/14/24

After Game 2 of the ongoing playoffs series, everyone, including Charles Barkley, suggested that the Denver Nuggets would get swept. They were right in some way after watching the way the Minnesota Timberwolves trounced them in those two games at Denver. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone used all that noise as a motivation to get his team back to tying the series.

Malone spoke about it openly after the Game 4 press conference. Suggesting that the analysts such as Barkley were wrong, and he wanted to prove them that. To this, Charles Barkley decided to slam the head coach.

Dude, we get paid to give an opinion. If you watched those first two games, you didn’t think Denver was going to win. They act like we just pulled it out our a** or someone just made it up. Now Denver playing great. He wanna act like he played the tape. I don't care. He annoys me. Cause he think like, he won a championship. He ain't the greatest thing since sliced bread. We only can go by what we saw. Give the Denver Nuggets credit. But don't like that tape spurred the Nuggets. Charles Barkley said via NBA on TNT

Barkley basically suggested that Michael Malone was using their criticism as an excuse. He thinks the Denver Nuggets would have won even if no tape was played.

The “Round Mound of Rebound” said that anyone who watched the first two games would immediately come to that conclusion. For instance, the way the Timberwolves harassed the Nuggets in their home court was unbelievable.

“Dude, we get paid to give an opinion. If you watched those first two games, you didn’t think Denver was going to win.”

Chuck on Michael Malone using an edit of critics to motivate Denver ahead of Game 3 https://t.co/qrN7zFls65 pic.twitter.com/siKtmQmDYQ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 14, 2024

Even though Barkley was not a fan of the Timberwolves throughout the season, those games changed his perspective. But he thought that Malone to talk about using the video was baseless, instead of focusing on their positives.

Charles Barkley wants the Minnesota Timberwolves to step up

Continuing the discussion, Barkley and his co-panelists talked about what the Minnesota Timberwolves need to do going into Game 5. Most notable was their discussion around Rudy Gobert. He missed Game 2 for the birth of his son. He could not play to his Defensive Player of the Year status in games 3 & 4. Subsequently, the panel wants him to step up.

Another key point was that they wanted Karl-Anthony Towns to step up. In Game 2 he put in one of his best playoff performances. But that hasn’t continued since. The big man needs to step up and help Anthony Edwards by scoring 25+ points. Otherwise, they will allow the Nuggets to take the playoff series lead.

If they fail and tie the series after Game 6, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have to face the Nuggets in Denver. The panel unanimously agreed that the younger Timberwolves should not go into that scenario.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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