A new Celtics report issued Monday allowed Stephen A. Smith to harp on a point of contention he’s had with the organization since the fall.
Smith’s ESPN colleague, Adrian Wojnarowski, revealed Boston “never got over” the exit of Ime Udoka, who officially left the Celtics in February and eventually landed the head-coaching job with the Houston Rockets. The “First Take” co-host still has an issue with how Boston handled the situation with its former head coach, specifically the details that were leaked and the initial fence-sitting punishment.
Wojnarowski filed the report one day after the Celtics dropped to a 3-0 series deficit against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. While Smith isn’t actively rooting for Boston’s demise, he seems to believe karma is intervening on Causeway Street.
“For me, this is justice — what is happening to them right now,” Smith said Monday on “NBA Countdown.” “We’re not looking at a team devoid of talent. We’re looking at an organization that forced the crumbling of their franchise and their comeuppance has arrived. We don’t root against those players, we don’t root against the coach, we ain’t rooting against anybody. But to have this kind of attention brought down upon them, they deserve it.”
Boston’s season has a chance to end in complete embarrassment Tuesday night at Kaseya Center. If the Heat protect home court, it will mark the first time the storied Celtics were swept in the conference finals or later in franchise history.
