Charles Barkley tapped into the sports zeitgeist as he expressed his frustration at the manner in which the Suns were eliminated from the NBA In-Season Tournament. Losing on a controversial timeout call led Barkley to compare the Suns to Florida State. The Seminoles were recently excluded from the College Football Playoff despite an undefeated season. While Shaq defended the call, many fans will likely be siding with Barkley. Furthermore, Barkley took things even further, proposing a similar conspiracy to the "Alabama over Florida State" argument. In short, Barkley implied the Lakers were given a favorable win condition because they are a preferential team for TV broadcasts.
Suns-Lakers for a place in the In-Season Tournament semifinals was a thrilling game. However, the way it ended spoiled the spectacle for many fans. The Suns were down two with time expiring when they appeared to force a turnover on Austin Reeves. However, as the loose ball rolled clear of Reeves, or any of his Lakers teammates, LA was abruptly granted a timeout thanks to LeBron calling for one. This led to a lot of anger from the Suns bench, who argued that the Lakers didn't have possession at the time of the call. However, the call stood and the Lakers ran out the clock, draining a free throw to take a 106-103 win.
Ron DeSantis Threatens To Sue Over Florida State Exclusion
However, Charles Barkley isn't the only person invoking Florida State this week. While presenting his budget for the next session of the Florida state legislature, Governor Ron DeSantis became the latest defender of the Seminoles. As part of the $114.4 billion budget plan, DeSantis asked for $1 million to sue the NCAA over Florida State's CFP exclusion.
"My first-grader, my fifth-grader, and my preschooler - they are all Noles. They are big-time fans and they do the tomahawk chop and they were not happy. We are going to set aside $1 million and let the chips fall where they may," DeSantis told the chamber. However, it's largely a symbolic gesture. The college football season will be decided long before the budget is ratified. However, with his Presidential bid looking increasingly futile, DeSantis is turning his attention back to the state of Florida. As for the Seminoles, they face two-time defending national champions Georgia on December 30 in the Orange Bowl.
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