The Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to steal a game on the road against the New York Knicks.
Instead, in Game 1, the Cavs blew a 22-point lead as the Knicks closed regulation on an 18-1 run, forced overtime and pulled away for a 115-104 win to take a 1-0 series lead.
ESPN NBA analyst Charles Barkley didn’t mince words immediately after the loss.
“Hell yeah that was a choke job,” Barkley said on ESPN after the game. “They started to take the air out of the ball with six minutes to go like dummies.”
The game was the second largest postseason comeback in NBA history after the Los Angeles Clippers came back to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012.
Cleveland was outscored by New York 44-11 to end the game.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson criticized for timeout usage
Barkley and fellow analyst Shaquille O’Neal also criticized Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson for not calling timeouts as the 22-point lead evaporated.
“That was a damn gag job right there,” Barkley said later in the broadcast.
The Cavs and Knicks will play Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 21.
“The Knicks feel like they stole one,” Barkley went on to say. “Cleveland has got to be deflated. All losses are not the same.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘That as a choke job,’ Charles Barkley says of Cavs Game 1 loss vs Knicks
Reporting by Dan Kadar, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
