CHARLES Barkley questioned an official call involving Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards during Game 1 of the first-round series between Minnesota and the Denver Nuggets.
The 61-year-old NBA legend made the comments on TNT’s Inside the NBA following the Timberwolves’ 106-99 victory.
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During the third quarter, Edwards got past the Nuggets’ Reggie Jackson and made a layup when star Nikola Jokic was near the basket.
After the play, Edwards walked back and briefly looked at Jackson.
Referee Courtney Kirkland hit Edwards with a technical foul.
The two-time NBA All-Star point guard opened his mouth in shock at the call.
After the game, Barkley appeared on Inside the NBA and commented on the call-up.
“Hey, Mr. Officer,” Barkley said. “No one came to watch your shitty game.
“Stop calling technical insults in the game. Nobody came to see you. You give a kid a warning. You don’t call any technical insults in the Playoffs. Don’t do that.”
Barkley wasn’t the only TV star who criticized Edwards’ technical foul.
TNT commentator Reggie Miller came to Edwards’ defense during the game broadcast.
“No, Courtney! I’m sorry!” exclaimed Miller. “We are in the second round of the playoffs. Emotions will always be high.”
Even TNT colleague Jamal Crawford chimed in and agreed with Miller’s opinion.
“This is horrible. You can’t celebrate someone for being a dog and so we called a coach to face us,” Crawford said.
The technical foul would not have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the game, as the Timberwolves won Game 1 of the series.
Edwards recorded a career-high 43 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
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The 22-year-old was coming off a 40-point performance to eliminate the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of the first-round series.
Edwards joins the late great Kobe Bryant as the only two players with two consecutive 40-point games at age 22 or younger in NBA postseason history, according to ESPN.
Minnesota’s Karl Anthony-Towns recorded 20 points despite being in foul trouble.
The Timberwolves will face the Nuggets in Game 2 on Monday night.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
