Charles Barkley Suggesting The Celtics Should Bring Kristaps Porzingis Off The Bench Is One Of The Most Insane Takes Of The Entire NBA Season

If there's been one downside of the Celts being a big market team and a title favorite this season, it's how many National TV games they have. This is especially true when you factor in that this season is our final chance to hear Mike Gorman call games, and more National TV games means more out of market Cs fans that rely on League Pass are getting absolutely hosed. Why in market fans can choose between local/national feeds but people who pay for League Pass so they can watch local feeds can't when games are on ESPN/TNT/NBATV. That makes sense Adam Silver you baffoon. 

Part of why this is annoying is the national media has no idea how to talk about the Celts because nobody actually watches every dribble. They just go off the popular narratives/what's hot on in the internet streets and that's that. With the Celts currently in a stretch where they play 10 straight games on National TV, the last few weeks have been absolute hell. All you have to do is listen to Chucks rant on the Celts during today's pregame on TNT

Did you catch that? No, not about the title or bust part. No duh. Everyone knows that and embraces that pressure. I'm talking about this

Even all this time later, I still can't believe what I was told as a real basketball take. That the Boston Celtics, a team that is 48-13, should bring Kristaps Porzingis….off the bench??

You know, the most efficient post player in the league this season, who shoots from 35ft and protects the rim as any center in the league who also can guard in space, who's fit with the two best players on the team is the exact reason they've been so good. Yeah, that guy should come off the bench, that makes total sense!

This is what happens though. The Celtics lose their first game in a month on national tv and everyone loses their goddamn mind. If Chuck has watched 5 seconds of Celtics basketball this year, he would know that what makes them successful is how Joe staggers the current lineups. The starters get the first 6 minutes, Tatum and Jrue come out and things run through JB/KP until around 2ish minutes left. 

Then, we get Tatum/Jrue back with the bench which is nothing but shooters, which is usually when Tatum starts to get going after being more of a facilitator in his first shift. 

The fact that Chuck was completely serious is what makes it so preposterous. It's as if Chuck started talking and then didn't really know where to go so he kept talking and then the next thing you knew a guy who is flirting with a top 25ish season should be coming off the bench for a team that has lost 1 game in a month and just 13 times all year. The guy that Brad Stevens changed the makeup of his entire roster for, should come off the bench. The more you say it out loud the more insane it gets.

Fortunately, there is a break from this hell on the horizon. After tonight, the Celts have one more on ABC on Saturday night and then another on NBATV on Monday, then finally we have a break. From the 12th to the 18, only 1 of those 4 are on a network before the 3/20 showdown against MIL on ESPN.

It truly is remarkable what happens to the national discourse literally any time the Celts lose a single game though. I mean this might take the cake but it's certainly not the only terrible take to hit the airwave over the last 48 hours.