Barkley's BRUTAL takedown of Nielsen's Spurs

• ‍Game 1: Knicks strangle Spurs to take Finals series lead‍
• Game 2: On the 'Matt': Nielsen's Spurs down 0-2 in Finals‍
• Game 3: Wemby 'The Alien' steals Knicks' talent at the Garden‍
• Game 4: New York's OG completes greatest Finals comeback

NBA Hall of Famer and former MVP Charles Barkley labelled Matt Nielsen’s San Antonio Spurs as “the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation” after squandering a 29-point lead in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks in New York yesterday (AEDT).

Barkley, 63, left nothing to the imagination in the post-game analysis of assistant coach Nielsen’s Western Conference champions: “We saw the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation.

“We saw they had a 25-point lead, took eight, eight straight threes. That was some of the most mismanaged, stupid basketball.

“Hey, when you blow a 29-point lead, the other team has to help you. The San Antonio Spurs helped.

“If the New York Knicks win this game by doing some of the stupid ass stuff I've ever seen on a basketball court."

Fellow Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal responded to Barkley’s criticism.

“Congratulations to the Knicks for coming back,” O’Neal said.

“I agree with you (Chuck).

“They play terrible basketball. They got comfortable,  they got comfortable with the lead.

“There was already talking about, you know, going back to San Antonio.

“They just didn't play smart, and, you know, you never know what a champion is until you become a champion.

“But tonight, the (Knicks) fought like a champion.”

Future Hall of Famer and Golden State Warriors NBA champion Draymond Green was equally critical.

“Hey, listen, we're sitting back there in the third quarter, and Shaq goes, ‘Yo, these guys gotta put them away right now. Second quarter, they gotta put them away right now’.

“They start letting them make the run towards, they're not a second quarter, the Knicks kept fighting.

“They kept fighting, they go back 26, cut it to 19.

“They got back in that third quarter once they cut it to 12. This game was a wrap.”

Barkley then put the final nail in the coffin: “When they shot, they would have had a 25-point lead shot eight threes in a row, never even came close to using it anytime on the clock,” he said.

“And you're like, this game ain't over yet.”

The play-by-play showed just how badly the Spurs blew their chance to tie the series at 2-2 after losing their first two home games.

Drought: Actually 9! straight misses

After Wembanyama hit a three at 10:37 of the third quarter, San Antonio missed these eight consecutive threes:

1. Champagnie (8:39 Q3)
2. Harper (7:59 Q3)
3. Vassell (7:02 Q3)
4. Keldon Johnson (6:39 Q3)
5. Fox (5:59 Q3)
6. Harper (2:59 Q3)
7. Fox (2:25 Q3)
8. Wembanyama (2:19 Q3)

The next attempt:

• Wembanyama miss (2:14 Q3) = ninth straight miss

The drought ended when:

• Vassell made a three at 1:46 Q3

Overall

• Longest Spurs second-half three-point drought: 9 consecutive misses (8:39 Q3 to 2:14 Q3).
• They did miss eight straight threes, but the streak actually reached nine before Vassell finally connected at 1:46 remaining in the third quarter.
• Later in the fourth quarter, they had a separate streak of three consecutive misses (5:58, 5:44, 2:43) between makes, not eight.

Wembanyama said: "Stop moving the ball, stop executing."

While head coach Mitch Johnson added: "We got away from what got us the 76 points in the first half, just in terms of putting pressure on the rim, rolling after screens, running, continuing to find the paint."

The Spurs poured in 76 points in the first half but just 30 in the second.

Game 5 is on Sunday, June 14 (AEDT) at 10.30am