TNT’s Charles Barkley blasts officials on James Harden, Joel Embiid mistakes in Sixers win

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is definitely one of us. Last week, TNT NBA Analyst Complain about the brutally late start times during the NBA playoffs. On Thursday, he was trashing the refs.

During the Sixers’ surprisingly exciting 102-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs, Sixers guard James Harden was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 after making contact with Royce O’Neal. In the third quarter. Officials said Harden made contact “directly to the groin,” which the Sixers star denied following the game.

The move came after Embiid was ejected after kicking Nets center Nick Claxton in the groin and receiving a technical foul for going past the Sixers star. The officials decided to slap Embiid with a flagrant 1, allowing him to stay in the game.

Barkley thought the officials overplayed it — Embiid should have been ejected and Harden allowed to stay in the game, at one point when he and Shaquille O’Neal got into a heated exchange at halftime.

“You can’t hit him in the hip, you’ve got to kick him in the hip. Then you don’t get caught,” Barkley said following the game. “If you kick him, you can get away with it … So kids at home, don’t kick the boys in their trash. Kick them in the trash.”

“I did not understand the authority in those two calls. One was accidental, one was intentional,” Barkley said. “James’ was an accident… I don’t know how you can call it blatant 2.”

Barkley’s fellow TNT analysts also thought the officials were wrong to eject Harden.

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“In this era of basketball, every guard is hooking on their dribble or fumbling with that offhand to get a better position,” Shaq said. “He’s not doing it on purpose, but he’s been abusing it for years to get in touch.”

Nets coach Jack Vaughn stood by Barkley following the game.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us wanted to kick or aim at and he continued to play,” Vaughn said. . “I’ve never seen that before. A game and a guy can keep playing. On purpose.”

Despite Harden’s ejection, the Sixers took a 3-0 series lead. They go for a sweep at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday at 1 p.m., a game that will again be televised nationally on TNT.

» Read more: Joel Embiid lucky to learn from win after nearly exiting Game 3

NBC Sports Philadelphia had fun with their headlines

NBC Sports Philadelphia also broadcast the Sixers’ Game 3 win, and the game producers decided to have a little fun with their kyrons.

During a postgame interview with Tyrese Maxey, who scored 10 points in the final three minutes, the headline read “flat-out winner.”

This isn’t the first time NBC Sports has given Philadelphia Sixers players extra credit.

Last month, after Joel Embiid sunk a game-winning jumper against the Portland Trail Blazers with one second left on the clock, producers added the headline “MVP voters, take note.” After Embiid scored the final 11 points against the Atlanta Hawks in a November win, Chiron read, “There’s a reason the crowd sings MVP.”

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NBC Sports Philadelphia has exclusive TV rights to the first round. After that, every game will be televised on ESPN or TNT. The network still has one more playoff game — Game 4 in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon with Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby.

» Read more: PJ Tucker vs. Ben Simmons This makes him a must for the Sixers.

Quick wins

  • Former Flyers enforcer and fighter Ryan Cote is a new star ESPN E60 A chapter examining the use of “magic mushrooms” in the psychiatric treatment of athletes. In an episode aptly titled “Peace of Mind,” Cote extols the benefits of psychedelic therapy in combating mental struggles. The episode begins Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN and will be available to stream on ESPN+.

  • CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo is aware of the criticism Romo received last season, especially during the playoffs — and he’s not surprised by it. “I think it’s normal,” Romo told the Dallas Morning News. “You have to remember that somebody’s opinion is always there. But 100 people come up to you and say they love you. You’re not going to please everybody. At the end of the day I think there’s a lot of people who really appreciate what we’re doing, and I think CBS is doing a great job with their broadcast team. I think.

  • NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin has been suspended by the NFL Network, even as he continues to maintain his innocence of sexual harassment allegations made against him by a hotel employee during Super Bowl week. The network announced its NFL draft coverage Wednesday, and Irving’s name was notably absent. A spokeswoman confirmed that Irwin.Suspended.” He joined the NFL Network in 2009 as an analyst.

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