The Hawks comfortably beat the Hornets in the play-in tournament 132–103 Wednesday, meaning Atlanta will play Friday and Charlotte will head to the offseason.
However, while the loss was tough for the Hornets, it did relieve one NBA Hall of Famer. During Inside the NBA on TNT Tuesday night, Shaquille O’Neal was so confident in a Hawks victory, he made a wild bet for them to win.
“If Charlotte beats the Hawks, I’ll stick my hand in a Hornets nest, deal?” O’Neal said Tuesday night. “On the last segment of the show, I will stick my fist in a hornets nest.”
Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley couldn’t believe O’Neal was serious. While Barkley kept laughing, Johnson openly wondered how O’Neal came up with the idea.
“Does anybody in here know where this comes from?” he asked the crew, earnestly.
Barkley, obviously, picked the Hornets for the upset to go against O’Neal.
So, Atlanta’s victory not only kept their season alive, it also saved O’Neal from a world of pain.
