Charles Barkley cameos on Stanley Cup pregame show — and makes bold prediction
Charles Barkley may not have much experience in skates, but that didn't stop the NBA legend from offering some pregame analysis on TNT's broadcast of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
'There's no place I'd rather be in the world,' Barkley told the TNT studio crew that included Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist and Paul Bissonnette, before offering his two cents on the matchup between the Oilers and Panthers.
When prompted by Gretzky, Barkley said his money is on Edmonton for Tuesday night's game at Amerant Bank Arena in Florida — he bet big on the Oilers before the series, and is still counting on Connor McDavid and Co. forcing a Game 7 in Edmonton and capturing the Cup.
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3 NBA legend Charles Barkley made an appearance on the TNT broadcast before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
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Barkley, who was a superstar in the NBA in the late 1980s and through the '90s, talked about the series through the lens of his own basketball career.
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The Hall of Famer was asked about the NBA Finals Game 6 his Suns played against the Bulls in 1993, trailing the series 3-2, and what it was like to face Michael Jordan with so much on the line.
McDavid, TNT host Liam McHugh pointed out, is the closest thing hockey has to Michael Jordan right now.
What was it like to face such a dominant player in a big-time game?
3 Charles Barkley on TNT's 'Inside the NBA' before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
NBAE via Getty Images
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'As a great player, you have to make sure the other great players don't outplay you,' Barkley said. 'When you're a great player, you have to say to yourself, 'You know what, I've got to beat their best player. Because you know he's going to play great.'
The reason the Panthers stole Game 5 in Edmonton, according to Barkley, was because Florida's Brad Marchand stepped up and was 'the best player on the ice.'
He added that the Panthers' Aleksander Barkov, one of the best defensive forwards in the game, reminds him of Dennis Rodman.
3 The Panthers celebrate a goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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Plus, as he surveyed the ice and offered his opinions, The 'Round Mound of Rebound' bore witness to a pregame stare-off between Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner and Panthers backup netminder Vitek Vanecek.
That, Barkley told the TNT crew, he has never seen in the NBA.
The Panthers held a 3-0 edge after the first two periods of Game 6.
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