The Celtics are establishing themselves in a class of their own this year.
And with 20 games to go in the 2023-24 regular season, Charles Barkley has seen enough. Anything less than an NBA championship would be a disappointment for Boston, the Hall of Famer said Thursday.
"If [the Celtics] don’t win a championship this year it would be a total gag job," Barkley said during TNT's NBA pregame show. "They’ve got everything."
“If [the Celtics] don’t win a championship this year it would be a total gag job because they’ve got everything. ... I would be shocked if the Celtics don't win.”
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 8, 2024
Chuck on the 2024 Boston Celtics 👀 pic.twitter.com/j2ykDrcmYQ
It's not quite one of Barkley's signature guarantees. But his declaration is a reminder that the pressure is on for Boston to get over the hump and win its first NBA title since 2008.
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The Celtics have been the NBA's best team this season — and it hasn't been particularly close. They've created an eight-game cushion for the top seed in the East and boast the best offensive rating in NBA history.
As Barkley outlined on Boston's dominance on "Inside the NBA," he pointed to the All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and their new third option, Kristaps Porzingis, as particularly impressive.
"They got everything. You've got Brown and Tatum — you've got two of the best 10 players in the league, probably. You've got a great leader in Jrue Holiday. …
"Even though he's a starter, Porzingis is probably the best guy who's not a No. 1 or No. 2 option in the NBA. And then you can throw Derrick White in there, too."
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Porzingis, who is averaging 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, is one of two major offseason acquisitions made by Boston after falling one win shy of the 2023 NBA Finals, the other being Holiday.
The Celtics are headlined by a six-man core of Brown, Holiday, Porzingis, Tatum, Derrick White and Al Horford. But TNT's Ernie Johnson challenged Barkley with questions surrounding Boston's depth, or lack thereof.
Barkley, 61, insisted that the Celtics' bench issues are overstated and shouldn't matter because "you only play five players." He added that in the postseason, rotations are cut down to seven or eight players — and he also offered the very unlikely solution of bringing Porzingis off the bench.
Depth issues or not, Barkley made his stance very clear: He fully expects Boston to be the final team standing in June.
"I will be shocked if the Celtics don't win — because they've got it all."
