Charles Barkley Slams Cavs For Fumbling 22-Point Lead: “That’s a Damn Choke Job”

Charles Barkley reacted to the Knicks' wild 22-point comeback win against the Cavaliers in ECF Game 1.

Charles Barkley Slams Cavs For Fumbling 22-Point Lead: “That’s a Damn Choke Job”

Charles Barkley does not like the premise of the NBA Cup (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Charles Barkley criticized the Cavaliers for blowing a 22-point lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
  • The Knicks made the largest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA Conference Finals history, winning 115-104.
  • Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson faced backlash for not calling timeouts to stop the Knicks' momentum during the game.

The NBA world, including Charles Barkley, was left stunned after witnessing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. It was a memorable game as the Cavs blew a 22-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The comeback was the largest fourth-quarter comeback in an NBA Conference Finals game in the play-by-play era. After a slow start, the Cavs were at their best in the second and third quarters as it looked like they were going to blow the Knicks away. But a stunning comeback saw the Knicks secure a 115-104 win at Madison Square Garden.

After the game, Barkley did not hold back and called out the Cavs after their horrid end to the game.

I take my job very seriously. I don’t like to get on TV and say people choked. But that was a damn choke job. I’m gonna say it now. I’m very selective when I say it. They had a 22-point lead, and they just started milking the clock.

Charles Barkley on Inside The NBA

Charles Barkley never minces his words when calling out teams and players. He picked the Cavs to make it out of the East this year. But after their performance on Tuesday night, the former MVP was left utterly disappointed with how things ended in Game 1.

The Cavs have made it clear that they are going all in this year after trading for James Harden at the trade deadline this year. But Harden has had his struggles so far in the playoffs this year. He scored just 15 points and shot at 31% from the field on Tuesday, and was targeted defensively by Jalen Brunson late in the game.

There is still a lot to play for in this series. The Cavs will be hoping to see a much-improved performance from their star player.

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It was a disappointing loss for the Cavs when the game was theirs for the taking. The Cavs were content letting Harden and Donovan Mitchell go on isolation excursions every trip down the floor. Hence, there was no movement of the ball, and they ended up shooting difficult shots.

Five-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was left in disbelief after the game.

The Knicks were down 22 points against the Cavaliers when Jalen Brunson decided to take over and put the Knicks on his back!! He scored 17 of his 38 points in the 4th quarter to lead the the Knicks to a win 115-104 in OT. There’s no way the Cavaliers should’ve lost this game. It’s going to be hard to recover from this loss and win the Series.

Magic Johnson on X

The win will give the Knicks a lot of confidence heading into Game 2. The Cavs are coming off back-to-back Game 7 wins; hence, fatigue may have played a factor later in the game.

Kenny Atkinson explains why he didn’t use his timeouts sooner to stop the Knicks’ momentum

While the Cavs shifted to iso-ball in the fourth quarter, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley criticized head coach Kenny Atkinson for not calling timeouts to stop the Knicks’ momentum. With the Knicks roaring back in the fourth, Atkinson took only one timeout (3:30 left in the fourth) and ended the quarter with two.

Kenny Atkinson
Kenny Atkinson (Image credits – Ferret Allen/X)

After the loss, Atkinson explained why he didn’t use his timeouts sooner.

I like to hold my timeouts. I didn’t want to have one timeout at the end of the game, one- or two-point game. I tried to hold them.

Kenny Atkinson in his post-match press conference

The Cavs missed a golden chance in this series. They had the opportunity to get the series underway with a road win. Atkinson and his team will be looking to bounce back in Game 2.

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