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NBA legend-turned-TNT analyst Charles Barkley wasn’t too excited about the first game of Thursday night’s TNT doubleheader featuring the Chicago Bulls vs. the Toronto Raptors. However, he still tried to promote the matchup, leading to some entertaining reactions from NBA fans on X, formerly Twitter.
The Bulls (20-23) and Raptors (16-26) both sit outside of the Eastern Conference’s top eight seeds and at best, are viewed as potential play-in teams. So, many were surprised to see the two sub-.500 squads featured in a primetime national television slot.
That includes Barkley, who halfheartedly encouraged fans to watch the matchup.
“Hey, guys, I know we got the Bulls and the Raptors, but watch anyway,” Barkley said pregame.
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Barkley’s pregame promotion had fans in stitches as most concurred with the Hall of Famer’s lack of enthusiasm.
“LMAO, violated 'em,” one fan said.
“Imagine putting the Bulls and Raptors on national television,” another said.
However, a few Raptors and Bulls fans defended their teams.
“At least the Bulls and Raptors won a championship,” one fan said.
“The disrespect to the Raptors. We won a championship in 2019, LOL,” another said.
Below are a few more of the top fan reactions to Charles Barkley’s pregame comments:
Bulls-Raptors comes down to the wire following Charles Barkley’s diss
Despite Charles Barkley dissing the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors, Thursday’s contest between the two teams turned out to be an entertaining, close game.
Chicago and Toronto went back and forth throughout the night before the Bulls pulled away for a 116-110 road victory. Their star trio of DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic combined for 71 points.
Meanwhile, Raptors star forward Scottie Barnes put forth a game-high 31-point performance on 61.1% shooting. He added seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, three blocks and two 3-pointers as he nearly led Toronto to victory.
Despite being an entertaining battle, it appeared that the lack of stakes involved prevented the TNT crew from getting too into the game.
Barkley and Co. offered very little halftime analysis regarding the two teams. Additionally, the former MVP continued to crack jokes about Chicago postgame, despite the team’s victory.
The Bulls (20-23) will look to win their second straight game when they host the Memphis Grizzlies (15-26) on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Raptors (16-26) will try and bounce back on the road against the New York Knicks (25-17) on Saturday.
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