Getty Charles Barkley and Kevin Durant postgame during the 2018 NBA Finals.
The undermanned Brooklyn Nets pulled out an impressive 122-109 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. The Nets were without Kevin Durant who is under quarantine and Kyrie Irving who was a late scratch due to personal reasons. Multiple sources have cited that Kyrie’s reason for not playing was due to the events that transpired in the Capitol Building on Wednesday.
Joe Harris Shined Brightly in Nets’ Win
Nevertheless, the Nets handled business led by Nets’ sharpshooter Joe Harris who led the way with 28 points in the victory. Harris was interviewed by the Inside the NBA crew after the game and as usual, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley did not hold back.
TNT’s Charles Barkley may be known for a lot of things but mincing words is certainly not one of them. Chuck was very complimentary of Harris during the postgame interview. He referred to him as one of the most underrated players in the league and had some interesting comments once the interview had concluded. “Hey Joe, I just want to thank you for answering our questions with more than one letter,” Barkley said. “Thank you very much.” While it may seem as though Barkley was complimenting Harris, he was actually throwing shade at Nets’ forward Kevin Durant.
Charles Barkley Not Letting up on KD, Kyrie
Barkley’s comments about Harris’ postgame interview stems from the postgame interview that all-star Kevin Durant had with the Inside the NBA crew after a statement victory against the Golden State Warriors on opening night. Charles Barkley asked Durant about his rehab process leading up to his return to the court for the first time in 18 months and let’s just say KD’s response was short and sweet.
“There was talk about you coming back for the playoffs last year. So, you’ve really just been working on your game trying to get back your timing and conditioning, really to be honest, correct?” asked Barkley. A despondent Durant answered the question with a simple: “Yeah.”
😂💀 Charles Barkley’s reaction to Kevin Durant giving him a one-word answer…
Follow the Heavy on Nets Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content out of Brooklyn!
The speculation behind Durant’s short answer was that it was his response towards Barkley’s comments about Durant’s teammate Kyrie Irving. Prior to the start of the season Barkley had some strong commentary about Kyrie’s decision to not talk to the media at the start of training camp. “Yo, man, shut the hell up and talk basketball,” Barkley said of Irving on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin morning show . “He’s a basketball player. That’s what he is. Listen, we’re not front-line responders. We’re not teachers. Yo man, you dribble a basketball, stop acting like you’re the smartest person in the world.”
Unfortunately, this is just the latest saga in the war of words between Barkley and the Nets stars. The Nets have four more games on TNT this season including a potential NBA Finals matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on February 18. From the looks of it neither Barkley, KD or Kyrie have plans of letting up any time soon.
READ NEXT: Kyrie Has Odd Reason for Not Playing Against Sixers