The Atlanta Hawks booked their spot in the playoffs after upsetting the Cavs in Friday's do-or-die Play-In game. Their prize? A date with the mighty Miami Heat in the first round of the postseason.
The crew over on NBA on TNT have given their thoughts on this series and for Charles Barkley, it was an opportunity for him to throw major shade at the Heat. Barkley had Miami stars Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro in his crosshairs as he explained why he believes neither of these two players is going to be “closers” for the Heat:
“I think they play hard, and they play smart,” Barkley said of the two Miami stars (h/t Brad Sullivan of Heat Nation). “But I don’t know if they have closers.
“They’re not in my opinion. They’re both terrific players, but can they will their team? In the playoffs, it comes down to stars. Now, I think they’re gonna beat Atlanta, but I’m talking about going farther. I don’t know if their team…is good enough.”
Quite a strong take from Sir Charles here, who seems to have forgotten that this is pretty much the same Miami Heat side that went all the way to the Finals a couple of years ago.
For what it's worth, however, Barkley did say that the Heat should progress to the second round by defeating Trae Young and Co., but it is clear that he's not very confident in Miami's title credentials this year.
