He may have gotten posterized today, but nothing can dampen the hot streak Daniel Gafford is on. The Inside Guys were blown away by his game ever since he arrived in Dallas. He joined the TNT crew after the Mavs‘ 116-107 win helped them clinch a 3-0 lead over Minnesota. But first, Gafford stood out for Charles Barkley for an unexpected reason. His spurt of improvement on the same squad as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving is reminding Sir Charles of his prime when he came from Philly to Phoenix!

“I know exactly how he feels. When I got out of jail that weekend, that was the best weekend. I said, ‘Thank God, he came out of Washington, and he in here now. He in heaven now,'” Chuck’s responded to Gafford’s game-saving block. He only made 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist across 29 minutes. Ant-Man even embarrassed him with a dunk there. But he redeemed himself with his aggressive blocks at crucial moments. He looked so riled up through the game that Chuckster could feel it. “I know exactly how he feel to get out of jail. It’s a long weekend, Shaq.”

While Gafford wasn’t in jail per se, he was in Washington, playing for the Wizards since 2021. He had vacation plans, not thinking he’d make it into the postseason. Then, on February 8, he had to put his plans on hold because the Wizards traded him to Dallas. With his and PJ Washington’s addition, the Mavs bolstered their frontcourt. Suddenly, Gafford was confident that he was going to be in the NBA Finals this season playing for the Mavs.

For Barkley, his get-out-of-jail moment was similar. Stuck in a rut in Philly, his dissatisfaction made him force a trade in 1992. Though he didn’t go to Portland as he wished, Phoenix was a better fit for him. He led the Suns to the 1993 finals where MJ torched him and stole his only chance at winning a ring. That same season, Chuck earned MVP honors.

Daniel Gafford relates to Chuck

When Gafford was on the show, Barkley recalled his “dark days” in Philadelphia while Shaq made farting noises in the background. After mixing him up with PJ, Barkley told him that he was questioning his worth as a player up until the time he left the Sixers. “I got traded to the Suns and I’m like, ‘damn, I can play.'” He asked Gafford if he felt like that before.

Gafford admitted that his first two seasons in the NBA, when he was picked by the Chicago Bulls in 2019, it was the toughest. But he saw it as working his way up till he ended up on a team with surreal championship contention. Unlike Charles Barkley, who once disparaged the lack of chemistry within the Sixers, Gafford was grateful for everyone who encouraged him.

The Mavericks are now just one game away from the NBA Finals. And it could be Gafford’s first NBA Finals appearance. We know at least Chuck is rooting for him!

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.