Charles Barkley isn't exactly a fan of the Miami Heat right now. Not only did he guarantee that the Milwaukee Bucks were going to sweep Miami in their first-round series matchup, but now, Chuck has put the Heat squad on blast after their lackluster showing in Game 2 on Tuesday.
According to Barkley, Miami's run in the bubble last season was nothing more than a fluke:
“Those boys from Miami can only play in the bubble,” Barkley said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
The slander did not end there. Barkley went on to say that the Heat are “ballroom dancers,” pertaining to the team's success in the ballroom-like atmosphere of the Disney World bubble last year.
Charles Barkley is not one to mince words and he certainly did not hold back with his criticism here.
For his part, Heat legend Shaquille O'Neal also shared his thoughts on Miami's current predicament. Shaq was not as blasphemous as Sir Charles, but he too had some choice words for Miami's stars:
“If I was on the team with Jimmy Butler, I would have to call him in and say ‘I need you to be more selfish,’” O'Neal said prior to Game 2. “He’s very unselfish, but I need my No. 1 guy taking more than 10 shots, especially when we’re down 0-1.
“Bam has to step up. A lot of times when Bam catches the ball, he’s just trying to run the play. He has to take one or two dribbles, collapse the defense and then kick it out. I understand you’re a disciplined team and you want to run plays, but sometimes you have to be super selfish for your team to win.”
If you're trying to find a silver lining in the Heat going down 2-0, then perhaps it's the fact that the series will now shift back to Miami. All hope is not lost at this point.