“Anytime I can get his blood pressure up, I love it” - Charles Barkley on getting on Shaquille O'Neal's nerves, says Shaq believes there’s no strategy in basketball
Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley always go at each other on TNT's "Inside the NBA," and it is always fun to watch. Although their banter can get heated sometimes, it is all fun and games as Barkley explains that he is just trying to teach O'Neal a lesson.
Most of the time, both analysts have opposing views on how the game should be played, and Barkley gives an insight into why that is. Speaking with Draymond Green on "The Draymond Green Show," Barkley was asked if either of them had gotten genuinely upset with things that had been said. He responded:
"I hope I piss him off. What he really don't understand is, he's always been the best player and the biggest baddest dude."
After explaining that O'Neal did not understand how strategies are important in playing basketball, Barkley continued:
"I know every time I call him out on the strategy he gets so pissed, and I love it. It's fun for me to rile him up. But I wish he would sit back and say, 'Oh, maybe there is a strategy."
"He has always been the biggest baddest dude. So, he refuses to believe there's any strategy in basketball, and I just laugh my a** off because, like, 'Yo, man, you do know there's actually a strategy in basketball depending on who you're playing against?' But because of how great he was, he doesn't care. So, anytime I can get his blood pressure up, I love it."
Regardless of how things might seem on TV, Barkley and Shaq are close friends who just like to banter.
Shaquille O’Neal had a more successful career than Charles Barkley
Although both superstars were inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaq O'Neal had a more successful career. Shaq's dominance was unmatched, and even Barkley acknowledges his greatness.
Barkley had only one chance to win a championship in his 16-year career but fell short in a six-game NBA Finals series. His defeat came at the hands of the legendary Michael Jordan, who single-handedly denied other great NBA stars from winning a championship.
Barkley and the Phoenix Suns reached the Finals but were matched against the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, who were on their way to a three-peat. Despite Barkley's 27.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the series, it was not enough to defeat the Bulls, who closed the series in Game 6.
Shaq, on the other hand, bested Jordan once in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals with the Orlando Magic. However, he got swept by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.
“You can win one game by yourself.”
“Or I can win four championships by myself.”
Chuck and @SHAQ started chirping 😂
(via @NBAonTNT)
https://t.co/LIilnmT93V
Nonetheless, Shaq had many more chances to win titles and ended up winning four. His partnership with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles earned him a three-peat from 2000-2002 before he headed to South Beach to team up with Dwyane Wade, which resulted in a championship for the Miami Heat in 2006.
the Miami Heat in 2006.
the Miami Heat in 2006.
the Miami Heat in 2006.
the Miami Heat in 2006.