The Celtics were crushed 118-109 at the TD Nursery in Boston, Massachusetts.
Boston Celtics for what he called “half-a*sing it” during a 118-109 loss to the New York Knicks at their own backyard in the TD Garden, despite their postseason picture being secure.
In particular, he focused on team leaders such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and stressed the importance of maintaining performances and momentum throughout the remainder of the season before the playoffs begin on April 20.
“Shaq[uille O’Neal] asked me earlier if Tatum and Brown should play. If they’re going to play like that, they shouldn’t play,” Barkley said to TNT. “The year we made it to the finals, we had the best record in the NBA and we shut it down the last two weeks of the season.
“the last two weeks of the season.
“It took us two rounds of the playoffs to get it back. We lost the first two games at home to the [Los Angeles] Lakers.
“I’ve always said to myself, and it had nothing to do with us losing to the Bulls in the finals – but I’m saying, I regret it to this day. Like, man, you play ’til the end of the season, if you’re going to play.”
Is Barkley right?
The Celtics currently have a 62-18 record (.775) and have absolutely dominated the Eastern Conference as they lead the Giannis-inspired Milwaukee Bucks by 13 games, with the loss to the Knicks representing just their fourth loss at home all season.