Magic Johnson wasn’t happy with the Celtics following their Game 3 loss against the Heat.
Boston rested its starters for the entire fourth quarter during Sunday’s defeat in Miami after entering the final frame trailing by 30. The Celtics’ unwillingness to fight until the end of the game seems to have struck a nerve with Johnson, who voiced his displeasure on social media.
The 63-year-old irately sympathized with all the “disgusted and devastated” Boston fans following the blowout in Miami on Sunday night.
“In my 44 years of being associated with the NBA I never thought I’d see a Boston Celtics team, a franchise with 17 Championships, quit. I know Celtics fans all over the world must be disgusted and devastated. The Miami Heat blew them 128-102 out in Game 3,” wrote Johnson on Twitter after the game.
In my 44 years of being associated with the NBA I never thought I’d see a Boston Celtics team, a franchise with 17 Championships, quit. I know Celtics fans all over the world must be disgusted and devastated. The Miami Heat blew them 128-102 out in Game 3.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 22, 2023
Johnson didn’t stop there, however. He went on to suggest Boston needs to consider making some serious changes next season, though he didn’t specify what area he had in mind.
It’s time for the Boston Celtics to major changes.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 22, 2023
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla elected to keep his starters on the bench for the fourth quarter against the Heat, rolling with a bench lineup for the final 12 minutes.
After Boston seemingly threw in the towel against the Heat, Johnson made clear that he felt it was out of character for such a successful franchise, one with whom he had a rivalry throughout much of his own playing career.
