NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley thinks the Mavericks are dead in the water against the Clippers, predicting an LA rout to finish the series.
The Clippers looked in trouble when the Mavericks took a 2-0 series lead to open the NBA playoffs in Los Angeles.
Now it’s the Mavericks who look vulnerable with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George picking up the pace in Dallas.
Where will the series go from here? Charles Barkley thinks he knows.
“The Mavs are not going to win another game,” Barkley said during halftime of Game 4, per Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “They’re going to lose four straight.”
In one sense, that’s a yikes moment for Mavericks fans. Dallas trailed 61-45 when Barkley made that comment. LA’s defense swarmed while the Mavericks’ offense sputtered.
Luka Doncic playing through an injury and the Clippers’ stars came alive doesn’t bode well at all for the underdogs going forward.
Is this the end for the Mavericks? Does Los Angeles have too much momentum in their favor?
Fans think Charles Barkley jinxed the Clippers against the Mavericks
Actually, a lot of people on Twitter wonder if Barkley saved Dallas by making that prediction. He has a habit of jinxing things.
Make no mistake, Clippers fans are sweating. The series has a long way to go.
The only people worrying harder over the Clippers-Mavs series are Lakers fans, apparently. It was a rough day for them after watching their team lose to the Suns. The worst-case scenario flashed before their eyes.
Whatever jinxing Barkley might have done, it didn’t take effect in the second half of Game 4. The Mavericks were down by 22 by the end of the third quarter.
The bad news for the Clippers and good news for Dallas is that Staples Center hasn’t held much of an advantage for either home team. The Lakers went 1-1 while the Clippers went 0-2.
The Mavericks will have to win there again in Game 5 to prove Barkley wrong.