As a massive NBA fan, I can admit this hasn’t been a very exciting playoffs so far. Hopefully we get an epic finals between Cleveland and Golden State to help make for that, but there just hasn’t been quite the level of excitement like in past years.
That being said, the NBA is almost always a more predictable league than the NHL. The low-scoring game leads to more variance, which is why the Washington Capitals can’t make it out of the second round despite having the best team.
Even Charles Barkley, one of the faces of the NBA, recently made headlines saying, “Thank God for the NHL playoffs,” again proving that he can say stuff that other people can’t. Sir Charles went on NHL Network on Wednesday to explain those comments:
My first reaction to that interview was how it’s incredible how much Barkley knows about hockey.
Barkley also talked about how he first became a hockey fan, moving to Philadelphia and watching Flyers games.
“Ron Hextall is my favorite hockey player,” Barkley said. “So, I’ve been a hockey fan since 1984-85 when I got to Philadelphia. And I’m not just saying this because I’m on the show: The Stanley Cup playoffs, they are the best thing in sports.”
So, Chuck, why is Hextall your favorite player?
“I like guys who will fight,” Barkley said. “I don’t like players who are passive. When I played, I used to get mad at guys who don’t get mad. And when I was in Philadelphia for eight years, I went to a lot of Flyers games and Ron Hextall, you know he wanted to win. And that’s all I can ask out of any of my players.”
Yep, Hexy knew how to fight:
Well, there you have it, Charles Barkley, hockey aficionado. And then there’s one more notable line, when he was asked if he would like to play hockey.
“I know my limitations, but I do like the fact that you can beat the hell out of somebody and only get a two-minute penalty,” Barkley said.
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