• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, Yesterday

Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson had class, while Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith did not as the foursome said farewell to TNT after the conclusion of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals last Saturday in Indianapolis.

The difference? Barkley, 62, and Johnson, 68, showed respect for their network and their general audience of viewers both young and old by keeping it clean when they issued heartfelt farewells and thank-yous to TNT and their team of long-time, behind-the-scenes co-workers.

By contrast, O’Neal, 53, and Smith, 60, both dropped vulgar f-bombs. Shaq took up the opportunity to do so for the simple reason that it was the last show for “Inside the NBA” on TNT and he could get away with it. 

By saying the f-word, Shaq was essentially giving TNT a farewell eff you by blatantly and intentionally violating network standards that forbid the word from being used on its sports telecasts.

“We’re a family. I’m glad we’re stickin’ together,” Shaq said to his three cohorts on the long-running pre-game, halftime and post-game show, which will move to ESPN next season under a licensing agreement with WBD, but with a new title.

“Even though the name changes, the engine is still the same,” he said. “And to that network we’re comin’ to, we’re not comin’ to eff around and since this is the last show, I’m gonna say it: We not comin’ to f--- around! We kickin’ ass! We takin’ names! We takin’ over!”

Smith was next to say farewell. After thanking various co-workers and TV mentors to whom he owes his broadcasting career, he climbed aboard Shaq’s f-word bandwagon.

“As Shaq said, we ain’t comin’ to f--- around!” said Smith, who always came across on the show as smarter than that.

Apparently, TNT had so much faith over the years that its star sports personalities would not use the f-word on the air that there was no delay mechanism in effect and the f-words both aired.

Last Saturday’s game saw the Indiana Pacers defeat the New York Knicks to earn a place in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder starting tonight (Thursday) on ABC. 

The game last weekend brought the curtain down on TNT’s traditional position as TV’s premier home for live NBA games in a relationship with the league that went back to 1988. 

“Inside the NBA” began in 1989. Johnson was there from the beginning, Smith joined the show in 1998, Barkley in 2000 and O’Neal in 2011.

In the most recent round of rights negotiations with the NBA, WBD fell short and the rights were parceled out between Disney/ESPN, NBCU and Amazon.

In his own farewell, Barkley was gracious as he thanked everybody he ever worked with at TNT and the NBA.

“I just want to say thank you to the NBA,” Barkley said. “Every coach I’ve had, every player I’ve played with, for giving me this magnificent life that I’ve had. I am so lucky and blessed. And I want to thank TNT. Even though we’ll never say TNT Sports again, I want to thank TNT for giving me a magnificent life.”

The last word went to Ernie Johnson, who was visibly emotional: “I’m proud to say for the last time, “Thanks for watching us. It’s ‘The NBA on TNT’.”