Charles Barkley loses 'billion dollar' bet to Shaq over Heat's loss to Hawks

Charles Barkley 'loses' massive bet over Heat's brutal loss to Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

If you already penciled in the Miami Heat as the Boston Celtics' first-round playoff opponent before Tuesday night, you're not alone.

Prior to Miami's NBA play-in tournament matchup with the 41-41 Atlanta Hawks, TNT analyst Charles Barkley confidently picked the Heat to win easily -- and was willing to back it up with cash.

"They're gonna beat the Hawks. Come on, the Hawks stink," Barkley told co-host Shaquille O'Neal, before saying he'd be willing to bet "a billion dollars" on a Heat win.

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Fast forward to a few hours later after the Hawks pulled off a 116-105 upset victory that punched their ticket to Round 1 to face the Celtics beginning Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Shaq made sure to remind Chuck of his pregame bet.

We doubt any actual money exchanged hands here, but Barkley's bold bet was proof that few gave Atlanta a chance to defeat a Heat team with a history of elevating its play in the postseason.

Instead, Miami shot just 42.9 percent from the floor while the Hawks dominated the boards, outrebounding the Heat 63-39 while pulling down 22 offensive rebounds to Miami's six.

Celtics fans have to be pleased about drawing a Hawks team that ranked 26th in the NBA in points allowed per game instead of a Heat squad that took them to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The C's swept their season series with Atlanta this season (3-0) and should feel pretty confident entering this first-round matchup.

Then again, both Barkley and the Heat paid the price for underestimating the Hawks on Tuesday night, so Boston should be wary of making the same mistake.