“Knew the Sixers Were Done”: Skip Bayless Credits Charles Barkley’s Pick for Guaranteeing a Knicks Series Win

The New York Knicks just took care of the Philadelphia 76ers in what was a close contest between the two teams on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center. The Knicks were hot straight out of the gates, as they quickly lit up the home team for 17 straight points. Their lead even reached 22 points during the first half. While the 76ers struggled plenty during the first quarter, a valiant effort from Joel Embiid, Buddy Hield, and Tyrese Maxey ensured that the Philadelphia side remained in the game, even making the contest a 2-point affair by halftime. However, Skip Bayless seemed to have anticipated the Sixers’ downfall at half-time itself, because of something Charles Barkley said during the half-time show.

The Knicks looked so abysmal entering the third quarter that NBA legend Charles Barkley completely wrote them off during the halftime TNT show at Studio J, “You saw the Knicks; I don’t know what the hell they’re doing. They doubled Joel Embiid, and he was out there just giving out hockey assists, and they got Buddy Hield going, and the rest is history. I am not sure why the Knicks are doing it. They are just stupid.” 

While Barkley didn’t whip out his famous “guar-an-tee” for the Sixers, his statements pointed to the outcome of the contest being already decided. For Charles, his Sixers were forcing a game 7. 

Even though Barkley seemed to have inspired support for his take on ‘Inside the NBA’, the reality on the court seemed different. The veteran analyst’s reputation seemed to have caused some people to “jump ship”, as Barkley has a habit of always getting his predictions wrong. So fans were already calling out a possible Knicks upset due to the same reason.

Among the people who jumped ship late in the game was veteran journalist Skip Bayless. Before Barkley’s take, Bayless seemed to be riding the Sixers train all series long. But as soon as the TNT host chose the Philadelphia side to pull off an upset, the 72-year-old knew that it was over for his 76ers. Taking to the social media platform X[formerly known as Twitter], Bayless added,

“I had Philly winning this series, but at least on today’s Undisputed, I took the Knicks plus 3 in this game. I knew the Sixers were done at halftime when Barkley said the Knicks were done.”

Regardless of the outcome, Game 6 between these two Eastern Conference giants was a sight to behold, with the game going down to the absolute last shot. Jalen Brunson once again had a historic performance on Thursday night, as he went off for 41 points. This was actually his fourth game in the series with 39 or more points.

But the Knicks’ comeback had more to do with the role players, as everyone on the teams stepped up. DiVincenzo was especially good on the night, as the 27-year-old was a nightmare for the 76ers on both ends of the floor, posting an impressive stat line of 23 points, 7 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals on 5-9 shooting from three. 

The Knicks will now face the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.