“Think like they’re Red Auerbach”: Charles Barkley bashes OKC HC Mark Daigneault’s lineup changes in NBA Finals

Charles Barkley appeared to take a veiled jab at OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault over the lineup changes made in the 2025 NBA Finals, where the Thunder now trail the Indiana Pacers 2-1. On Wednesday, after Game 3, Barkley took issue with Daigneault’s decisions to shake up the rotation.

The most notable move Daigneault made was inserting Cason Wallace into the starting five in place of Isaiah Hartenstein, opting for a smaller lineup against Indiana’s uptempo offense.

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Barkley argued OKC shouldn’t be overthinking it and instead should stick with what earned them the league’s top record. He said:

“When I was sitting home watching Game 1, I'm like, holy smoly, what are these guys doing? I was like — and I hate to be redundant — I'm like, if I got the best team in the world, I'm not changing anything. We're in the NBA Finals. We got, we've been the best team in NBA all year.”

Barkley added that the bench — which had been one of OKC’s biggest strengths — hasn’t held up since the changes. The Thunder bench was outscored 49-18 in Game 3.

“Now their bench is getting outplayed. They have the best bench in the NBA, and they're getting outplayed. And that's been the difference in the series so far. It takes guys out of their roles.

"But you know, some of these guys, they think they're damn Red Auerbach out there, and act like they're the smartest dude in the room.”

The Thunder have used a variety of rotations all season — 30 different starting lineups in the regular season — but had kept it steady in the playoffs with just two main lineups: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort and Hartenstein through three rounds, then Wallace stepping in for the Finals.

Red Auerbach, of course, coached the Celtics to eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. Mark Daigneault has yet to claim one, while Pacers coach Rick Carlisle won his lone ring in 2011 with Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.

What Mark Daigneault said after Game 3

In Game 3, the Thunder played out of character, giving up a 32-18 run in the fourth quarter and turning the ball over 17 times — four more than Indiana.

MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren added 26 and 20 respectively. But in the final five minutes, the trio went quiet as the Thunder’s offense came to a halt.

After the loss, Mark Daigneault acknowledged OKC was outplayed down the stretch.

“They really outplayed us in the 4th,” he said (per Brandon Rahbar). “Give them credit. We got control of the game coming out of the 3rd. In the 4th, they outplayed us on both ends.”

Mark Daigneault and the Thunder will now look to even the series in Game 4, which tips off Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

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About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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