“Nobody came to see your a** play!” Charles Barkley RIPS NBA referee for technical call towards superstar Anthony Edwards

Minnesota Timberwolves take the series lead in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

“Nobody came to see your a** play!” Charles Barkley RIPS NBA referee for technical call towards superstar Anthony Edwards

Charles Barkley rips referee for calling a technical foul on Anthony Edwards

The playoffs bring about the best of basketball one can expect. Unlike a regular season, the playoffs usually are do-or-die games. Considering these high stakes, it is quite normal for players to get heated in their efforts to impact the game. Anthony Edwards also did something like that by staring down an opponent. Immediately, the referee issued him a technical foul. Charles Barkley did not appreciate the referee call in any way.

As soon as he got the opportunity on their show Inside the NBA, the Hall of Famer ripped the referee with some choice words. Barkley felt warning the player was the obvious decision in the playoff rather than issuing a technical. 

Hey, Mr. Official. Nobody came to see your a** play. Stop giving taunting technicals in the game. Nobody came to see you. You give a kid a warning. You don't call no taunting technicals in the Playoffs for staring. Don't do that.
Charles Barkley via Inside the NBA
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Barkley was livid as Anthony Edwards just stared down Reggie Jackson. He did not say anything or stand on top of him, which gets justified as taunting, which is usually issued a technical foul.

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His comments piggybacked on what his colleague and commentator Reggie Miller said as the play developed. Miller was baffled by the referee handing Edwards the technical just for staring. He questioned where the game was heading, as unwarranted referee calls have had an effect in the playoffs.

Usually, such incidents are ignored. After all, a player making a big play will want to show off, which is exactly what the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar did. It will be interesting to see if a similar taunt is called again in later games.

Charles Barkley noticed how the Timberwolves handled Nikola Jokic

As they continued to discuss the game, Charles Barkley talked about an important aspect that helped the Minnesota Timberwolves win the game. It involved nullifying the game of Nikola Jokic. 

They used the two big guys. Then they used Naz Reid. Then they used Slo Mo. They were gonna make Joker work. And I'm concerned about the Joker, cause he gonna have to play pretty much (the whole game).
Charles Barkley via Inside the NBA

Barkley noticed four different players taking turns to guard Nikola Jokic. This meant they stayed fresher throughout the game. On the other hand, Jokic has to play almost the entire game if the Nuggets are to win.

Co-panelist Kenny Smith added to this observation by saying that the Minnesota Timberwolves ‘sped up’ the 2-time MVP. As in, knowing that he is the primary playmaker, they started guarding him from the moment the ball reached his hands. The big Serbian had to dribble up the floor faster than he usually does.

This method of attacking Jokic defensively showed its result towards the end of the game. Eventually, the NBA Finals MVP was huffing and puffing as the game drew close. Losing all his energy when his team needed a rally to try for that win. It remains to be seen if Jokic can maneuver around the tactics of the Timberwolves in the coming games.

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