"Luka and Kyrie can't guard guys"- Charles Barkley favors Boston Celtics over Dallas Mavericks citing duo's defensively frailties

The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are set for a compelling NBA Finals matchup. Many NBA analysts are already making their predictions on the series. Charles Barkley gave his early take on the series during the season finale of “Inside the NBA”.

Barkley is leaning towards the Celtics lifting yet another franchise title. Barkley is taking Boston to win the title as he expected all season.

“I still haven’t seen anything that makes me think the Celtics will not win the championship,” Barkley said.

The famous NBA analyst is not worried about the health of a certain Celtics star. He is still taking Boston even without some of their stars because of the Celtics depth and defense.

“I still like the Celtics even without Porzingis,” Barkley said. “They have four guys that can guard Luka and Kyrie. And Luka and Kyrie can’t guard those guys on the other end. I think it’s going to be a hell of a series but I like the Celtics.”

The Celtics will be the favorites in the finals. Boston had the second-highest defensive rating this regular season. They have been the third-highest defense in the playoffs. They will need another big time performance to slow down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who just combined for 72 points in Game 5.

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Charles Barkley’s colleague, Shaquille O’Neal, is going the other way. The big man is backing the Mavs in the finals. He thinks less of the Celtics defense.

“The Celtics do not have three or four guys that can guard Luka. I like Dallas in this series. I like the way they're playing,” O’Neal said.

The NBA legend was impressed with Doncic’s performance in the conference finals. He likes his physicality and thinks it could be an x-factor in the series.

“Luka ia bigger than I thought he was, stronger than I thought. Once he gets you on his side, he’s sort of like a big man,” O’Neal said. “He plays with poise. And he can’t be shook.

Barkley believes the Boston Celtics have plenty of bodies that can slow down Doncic. However, O'Neal is less convinced. He thinks Doncic will still have his way against the potential Boston defensive matchups.

“I don’t see anyone on Boston dealing with (Luka). Maybe Tatum but if I’m Boston, I don’t want to get Tatum or Brown in foul trouble and I think Jrue Holiday is too little,” O’Neal said.

Doncic had 37 points in the second game of the season against the Boston Celtics. He had success in the first game against Boston as well, with 33 points. The Boston Celtics won both matchups by double digits.