Charles Barkley had no filter after the Thunder dropped Game 3 to the Pacers. They lost 107-116 after getting outscored 18-32 in the fourth quarter. Until then, they were having a close game. Now trailing 1-2 in the NBA Finals, Barkley didn’t mince words when talking about head coach Mark Daigneault’s decision-making.
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He zeroed in on the lineup change made in Game 1. For Barkley, it made no sense. The Thunder were the best team in the league coming into the series. They had chemistry, depth, and a formula that worked.
In his words, if he had the best team in the world, he wouldn’t change a thing. But Daigneault did. And since then, OKC hasn’t looked the same. Barkley called out the adjustment, saying he couldn’t understand how it helped the team. The bench, which used to be one of OKC’s biggest strengths, has now become a liability and is getting outplayed.
Barkley believes the lineup shakeup has hurt roles, shaken confidence, and flipped a major advantage into a weakness. “I didn’t like the lineup adjustment because I’m not sure how it benefits them. They were the deepest team in the league, now their bench is getting outplayed…and that’s been the difference in the series so far,” Barkley said on NBA TV.
He even took a jab at Daigneault, saying some coaches think they’re Red Auerbach. It was a clear shot at overcoaching, trying to outthink the room when the team just needed to stick to what worked. Chuck’s criticism can’t be discarded. The Thunder had a formula that was working very well.
They were not just the best team in their conference but also ended the regular season with the best overall record. In the playoffs, they seemed unstoppable and went through teams with ease. Now, when the stakes are highest, they’re trying out new things. This is a strategy that is bringing them closer to losing out on the NBA title.
For Chuck, the turning point of the Finals was Game 1. That set off a domino effect, and the Thunder haven’t recovered. He was blunt in saying it was a mistake, and even if OKC comes back to win the series, it doesn’t change the fact that the initial decision was wrong.
Barkley stated that if it were up to him, he’d go back to the old lineup with the two bigs. It was simple, effective, and got them to the Finals. Now, they’re in trouble because they strayed from it.
