ICYMI: "They played music, and I said I appreciated it'" - Charles Barkley jokes about his college major, leaving "Inside The NBA" crew gasping for air
Charles Barkley had some jokes for the “Inside The NBA” crew as they analized Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Boston Celtics stole a win on the road, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 116-108 on Monday night – with the Cs out-scoring the Bucks 43-18 in the fourth quarter.
The crew looked at some statistics from the game, showcasing the Celtics’ clinical 84% shooting in the fourth quarter. Al Horford was the highlight, going a perfect 6 of 6 in the fourth – including two shots from beyond the arc. Charles Barkley felt the field-goal percentage was much higher, which incited Ernie Johnson to take a dig at his calculation skills.
"They played music and I said 'I appreciate it.'" 🤣
Chuck recalls his days as a "Music Appreciation" student in college. https://t.co/ZtDrQkLeNU
Johnson’s question about Barkley’s major at Auburn gave him a chance to get snarky, responding:
“Music appreciation. They played music, and I said I appreciated it, and they gave me an A.”
Shaquille O’Neal, Johnson and Kenny Smith could not hold their laughter and were left giggling. But Smith made it a point to address the fact that music could not have been Barkley’s major.
The discussion left Barkley reminiscent, as he said:
“It is one of my classes. My major – yeah, I’m undeclared, and I wanted to wait and see how this basketball thing worked out.”
The basketball thing worked out quite well for Barkley, being drafted fifth in 1984 – in the same class as Michael Jordan (the No. 3 pick). Barkley did not win a championship during his career but made quite a name for himself and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Charles Barkley feels the Bucks are too reliant on Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is clearly the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Bucks’ system and has often won games single-handedly for his franchise. However, the playoffs are completely different from the regular season, often needing someone apart from the go-to guys to take some responsibility.
Antetokounmpo scored 34 points in the Game 4 loss, with Brook Lopez being the second-highest contributor, adding only 17 points. The Celtics defense has been elite in the playoffs so far, as they managed to make Kevin Durant a nonfactor in the first round. Although Giannis is a different beast, the Bucks will need more of a contribution from the others on their roster.
34 points for No. 34 tonight.
34 PTS | 18 REB | 5 AST https://t.co/JvzkART8eN
Charles Barkley feels the other guys need to be involved for the Bucks to be successful, saying:
“You looked at the game – and Milwaukee had the lead the entire game – but you were saying to yourself, ‘They’re not playing good basketball.’ It is: Get the ball to Giannis and he goes one-on-one. There was no ball movement. There was no body movement.”
Bobby Portis was a nonfactor during the two-game home stretch, averaging only 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. Khris Middleton (knee) being unavailable puts a lot of pressure on Giannis Antetokounmpo to make sizeable contributions every night, which he manages to do. But with the Celtics showing grit, someone has to chip in and share Giannis’ load for a realistic chance.