Charles Barkley Eviscerates Heat Following 39-Point Halftime Deficit in Elimination Game

Miami got embarrassed by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half on Monday night.

TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley did not mince words when discussing the Heat's effort that led to a 39-point halftime deficit in Game 4 on Monday. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed, have played the entirety of their first-round series with the No. 8 seed Miami Heat looking like the much better team in the matchup.

The Cavaliers took a decisive 3–0 series lead into Monday night following a 37-point win in Game 3 on Saturday. Just two days removed from Heat guard Tyler Herro declaring that his team would not get swept, Miami came out on Monday night and got embarrassed in the first half.

The Cavaliers made everything they looked at, while the Heat made absolutely nothing on the offensive end and looked putrid on defense.

The result was a 72–33 halftime deficit for the Heat that had TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley chomping at the bit when the Inside the NBA crew came back on the air at the intermission.

After Ernie Johnson declared the first half "might be the worst game he's ever watched," Barkley dug in.

"Ernie, I try not to ever use the word 'quit' or 'choke,'" Barkley began. "This is quitting at its finest right here. I bet if we went to their house, all their stuff is already packed."

The Cavs -- up 3-0 in the series -- took a 72-33 lead into halftime vs the Heat in Game 4 in Miami.

Ernie Johnson: "This might be the worst game I've ever watched."

Charles Barkley: "Ernie, I try not to ever use the word quit or choke... This is quitting at its finest right… pic.twitter.com/p6fzFmaJF4

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 29, 2025

It was a brutal half to watch, and Barkley was just saying what NBA fans were thinking.

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

feed