Charles Barkley’s reaction to the Trail Blazers’ Game 1 win is pure gold

The TNT analyst offered some foreshadowing on what he thinks is going to happen in the series

The Portland Trail Blazers have a diehard supporter in Charles Barkley. Before the Trail Blazers took on the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 on Tuesday, Barkley said that if Portland wins Game 1, they will sweep the Lakers. He even said that for the Lakers, Game 1 is a “must-win”.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Lakers in Game 1, 100-93, behind a 34-point performance from Damian Lillard. The Lakers struggled to shoot from deep, going 5-of-32 from downtown in the contest. LeBron James posted a triple-double, but even that wasn’t enough to beat Dame and crew. Lillard hit a clutch 3-pointer from the logo in the fourth quarter that gave Portland the lead for good, living up to his ‘Logo Lillard’ nickname.

Is it time for the Trail Blazers to bring out the brooms?

After the game, Barkley reacted to the Blazers’ win by bringing out a broom and casually sweeping around the TNT studio. He seems really confident that the Blazers can pull off the unthinkable, sweeping one of the NBA’s top title contenders. Him bringing out the broom might be premature (or downright crazy), but when Chuck makes a guarantee, he sticks by it.

Making what some might call outrageous predictions about the Trail Blazers isn’t new for Barkley. Earlier in August, he made another prediction about Portland, saying that they will reach the NBA Finals this year. When he made the prediction about the Lakers getting swept in the first round, he was met with laughter and pushback by his co-analyst Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. Smith even jokingly asked him what he was sipping on because that prediction seemed so outlandish.

Bringing out the brooms after one game might seem premature, but not for Charles Barkley. His Portland sweep prediction is starting on schedule, but will it stay that way? The Lakers can’t afford to go down 2-0, which means they will be even more focused and prepared for Game 2 on Thursday. Barkley’s bold prediction is safe for now, but it might be a different story come Thursday night.