Charles Barkley Shares His Prediction, Concern for Celtics' Championship Hopes

The Boston Celtics won't be the first team to capture the NBA Cup after the Indiana Pacers eliminated them from the In-Season Tournament with a 122-112 victory Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But Boston's 15-5, the second-best record in the league. The C's also boast the most impressive top six in the Association. Perhaps even top seven, thanks to Sam Hauser's emergence as a two-way wing.

The sharpshooting six-foot-eight forward is drilling 45.2 percent of his 6.3 attempts from beyond the arc this season.

Twenty games into the 2023-24 campaign, SI Sportsbook lists them as championship favorites, giving them +350 odds to raise Banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters.

NBA analyst and former league MVP Charles Barkley's seen enough to state on TNT's NBA Tip-Off show on Monday, "The Boston Celtics are the best team in the NBA."

When asked to double down, the 11-time All-Star replied, "The Boston Celtics are gonna win the championship. Guaranteed!"

Barkley added that he's worried about Kristaps Porzingis' ability to stay healthy. But the seven-foot-three center's playoff struggles with the Dallas Mavericks don't concern the Basketball Hall of Famer, who views Boston's big man as the fourth-best player on his team.

When asked by Shaquille O'Neal how dominant Porzingis has to be in the postseason for the Celtics to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy, Barkley responded, "He does not have to be dominant. He just has to be the best number four in the NBA."