Bill Simmons can see the writing on the wall with his beloved Boston Celtics.
The Celtics got smacked upside the head with a 2×4 by the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday. They lost 128-102 to fall into an unthinkable 0-3 hole (as the No. 2 seed who had played the first two games on their home floor).
In the latest episode of his self-titled podcast for The Ringer, Simmons made a rather ominous prediction about the Celtics amid the Game 3 humiliation. He said he believes they will fire head coach Joe Mazzulla after the season.
“I don’t think he will come back,” said Simmons of Mazzulla, per Fadeaway World. “I think they will move on and get a better coach.”
Simmons did also say though that he felt Mazzulla was put in “a horrible situation” when he suddenly took over the reins for the Celtics in October.
Mazzulla is still only 34 years old and might be a fine NBA coach some day. But he is clearly not a championship-caliber head coach right now. In fact, Mazzulla was only in this situation in the first place because predecessor Ime Udoka was suspended (and eventually let go) over an inappropriate relationship in the workplace and because ex-Celtics lead assistant Will Hardy had already taken the Utah Jazz job by that point.
After the Game 3 disaster, Mazzulla said that he didn’t have the team ready to play and even admitted that there was a disconnect between him and the Celtics players right now.
"I just didn't have them ready to play"
Joe Mazzulla took the blame for Boston's Game 3 loss pic.twitter.com/ovoEhaeQHv
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2023
Question by @GwashburnGlobe: "I don't want to say you've lost this team, but is there a disconnect between you and the players at this point?"
Joe Mazzulla: "Yeah, that's where I have to be better, figure out what this team needs to make sure that they're connected." @ABC6 pic.twitter.com/tgpyPuBZ5C
— Nick Coit (@NCoitABC6) May 22, 2023
As for Simmons, he is pretty well-connected in the sports world (especially when it comes to Boston sports) and is usually spot-on with his predictions. If the Celtics do decide to make a coaching change this offseason, Simmons will once again be able to say that he called it.
