"If Ime Udoka was the coach, they would be champions by now" - Stephen A. Smith on why he's 'disgusted' with the Boston Celtics

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Though the Boston Celtics managed to escape an upset in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a hard-fought 133-128 OT win against the Indiana Pacers, Stephen A. Smith remains pessimistic about their prospects of winning the title this year.

Speaking on the latest episode of ESPN's First Take, the 56-year-old analyst criticized the current Celtics team for possessing plenty of evident offensive loopholes and talked about how he is 'disgusted' by them. Ultimately, Stephen A. boldly claimed that if Ime Udoka was still the head coach of this team, they would have already added an 18th Larry O'Brien trophy to their cabinet.

"I'm disgusted with them because I think their offense looks awful," Smith said. "As much as I respect Joe Mazzulla and the job that he has done… if Ime Udoka was the coach of the Boston Celtics, they would be champions by now, possibly would have won it last year. There is a difference between what Ime Udoka had the Boston Celtics looking like and what they've looked like offensively over the past of years, you just see too much haphazard play."

Smith on how the Celtics won't win it all

Only a failed inbound pass from the Pacers and Pascal Siakam's hesitation in fouling Jaylen Brown on the game-tying play in regulation time allowed the Celtics to mount a comeback despite shooting only 33.3% from the 3-point line and 47.5% overall. SAS argued that teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves will not spare the Bean Town team if they continue their inconsistent play.

Smith highlighted how the additions of Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington have bolstered the Mavs' defensive tenacity, allowing them to complement the offensive firepower of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Similarly, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who held the Denver Nuggets to below 100 points in each of their wins, would not spare the Celtics if they fail to bring their 'A-Game.'

"If you're the Boston Celtics, you can't afford to be a bit haphazard," Smith added. "There has to be a model of consistency and dependency to some degree that I don't see from them."

The Celtics cannot afford slipups in Game 2

Despite Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining for 62 points and the rest of the starters adding 58 points, the C's allowed Indy to dictate the tempo in Game 1. Seven of their ten players scored in double digits, and each one-shot 50% or better from the field.

Additionally, given Boston's lackluster record in Game 2s throughout the 2024 playoffs, it is clear they cannot afford to be mediocre against Rick Carlisle's Pacers, as they would simply not go easy on them when the series moves to Indiana.

That being said, like every other dominant team, the Celtics did manage to win the series opener, even if it wasn't pretty. However, moving forward, they must ensure they improve and address their biggest problem - inconsistency.