Fastbreak

NBA Legend Charles Barkley Makes Bold Statement About Boston Celtics

NBA legend Charles Barkley spoke about Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Ben Stinar

Unknown date 1994; Portland, OR, USA: FILE PHOTO; Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley (34) against the Portland Trail Blazers at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Unknown date 1994; Portland, OR, USA: FILE PHOTO; Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley (34) against the Portland Trail Blazers at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

On Friday evening, the Boston Celtics played the Dallas Mavericks in Texas for Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

The Celtics had a chance to close out the series and win the 2024 NBA Championship.

However, they were blown out by a score of 122-84.

After the game, Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley made a bold statement (via Bleacher Report/NBA TV).

Barkley: "I'm glad the Mavs didn't get swept. I'd actually like to see the Mavs win next game because I want to see the champion put under stress. The Celtics have not been put under stress. Now they're under stress."

While the Celtics still have a 3-1 lead, the Mavs can make the series very interesting with a win Game 5.

So far, the Celtics have yet to have a series go past five games.

The Mavs came out extremely aggressive and held the Celtics to just 21 points in the first quarter.

They also had a 26-point lead at halftime.

All-Star forward Luka Doncic led the way with 29 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals while shooting 12/26 from the field and 0/8 from the three-point range in 33 minutes of playing time.

Game 5 of the series will be on Monday evening in Boston.

If the Mavs are able to stay alive, the teams will return to Dallas for Game 6 on Thursday evening.

The Celtics are still on the verge of winning their first NBA Championship since the 2008 season (16 years).

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Ben Stinar
BEN STINAR

Ben Stinar is the NBA reporter for Fastbreak on FanNation.