Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley Unanimously Call Out Celtics Star

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated May 5, 2025 8:01 PM ET

The Boston Celtics embark on the next step of their title defense on Monday night when they take on the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Celtics made easy work of the Miami Heat in the opening round, as they took out Bam Adebayo and Co. in five games. The Knicks, however, pose a different challenge, with Jalen Brunson and the rest of the squad looking to upset the defending champs.

This series will have extra meaning for Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis. The former All-Star big man spent the first three years of his career with the Knicks, which was the same organization that selected him fourth overall during the 2015 NBA Draft.

Setting the sentimentality aside, NBA on TNT analysts Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley shared their honest thoughts on Porzingis heading into Game 1.

Barkley is adamant that Porzingis is the key factor for Boston. The former NBA MVP also made it a point to call out the Celtics star for his lack of consistency thus far.

"I said last year, once they got Porzingis, the championship was a wrap," Barkley recalled. "I said that last year. If he doesn't pick up his game, the Celtics are not going to win the championship this year.

"I said it before, the Celtics, man, we're just wasting time. Because when Porzingis plays well, this takes this team to a whole other level.

"But he has not been consistent. ... If he doesn't pick it up, they're not going to win the East."

O'Neal and Barkley butt heads on a regular basis with their opposing views. The two, however, were on the same page on the Porzingis front.

O'Neal also revealed his brutally honest opinion on the Latvian and his inconsistencies.

"The reason he's been inconsistent most of the games I've watched, he stayed out on the perimeter," O'Neal said. "When he mixes it up, he plays okay. But if he learns how to mix up a little more, he will have better numbers and better games.

"But if you just stay out there on the perimeter and you're not making them, that's going to be the outcome, single digits."

"If [Porziņģis] doesn't pick up his game, the Celtics are not gonna win the championship this year."

Chuck's looking for KP to level up in the Semis pic.twitter.com/wXyh8Gjwii
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 5, 2025

As TNT's graphic showed, Porzingis played well in Games 2 and 4 of the Heat series, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. In the other three games, however, the 7-foot-2 big man averaged just 7.0 points.

As O'Neal and Barkley pointed out, this just won't cut it for Boston.

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

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