Shaq and Charles Barkley just picked a Finals MVP — KAT’s name has everyone talking!

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Towns surprises Barkley and Shaq, wins over critics with Finals play

Karl-Anthony Towns spent years as Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal’s favourite punching bag, the big man they said played soft. Two games into the Finals, both have flipped, and they are calling him the MVP of the series.

It’s a notable change from two analysts who often focused on what Towns wasn’t doing well enough. Even beyond the numbers – 21 points per game on nearly 60% shooting, including six made threes in Game 2 – it’s how Towns has carried himself.

He’s put his body in front of drives, fought for loose balls and made plays that won’t show up in box scores. He’s been matched up with Wembanyama and done the job. In Game 1, with Towns as the main defender, Wembanyama went just 2-for-12 from the field.

That backs up Barkley’s long-held belief that Wembanyama can be quieted when someone his size stands up to him. Then in Game 2, Towns backed it up again with 21 points and 13 rebounds on eight-of-12 shooting. He had a big fourth quarter too, putting up 13 points to help New York get over the line.

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Towns has also played smart basketball in both games so far. Even with the defensive challenge, he has only picked up four fouls through two games and avoided any real foul trouble against one of the league’s top offensive players.

Towns is closing in on Stephen Curry’s all-time single-postseason plus-minus record, trailing by about six points. It’s a stat that reflects how much one player can impact both ends of the floor.

For a player often known more for his scoring than team success, leading both the defence and offence on this stage adds a new layer to his career profile. The Knicks have now won 13 consecutive playoff games, second only to the 2017 Warriors’ 15-game run.

Barkley wasn’t high on Julius Randle when this season started either, but admits he got it wrong: “I was totally wrong about Julius Randle… He is going to be first-ballot Hall-of-Fame if you look at his stats.”