Stephen A. Smith crashes ESPN set to panic over Celtics’ win

The Celtics might be without Jayson Tatum for the foreseeable future, but ESPN pundit and Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe New York has an easy road to the Eastern Conference Finals.

While Smith usually tapes ESPN’s “First Take” in the morning, he crashed the set of another show, “Get Up” on Thursday to share his fears about the state of the Knicks following Boston’s 127-102 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

“We’re very concerned,” Smith said. “They’ve got to win tomorrow night. You can’t go back to Boston for a Game 7. You gotta close the deal tomorrow night. Show up! Show up!”

Even though the Knicks still hold a commanding 3-2 series edge, Smith believes that the loss of Tatum to a ruptured Achilles might galvanize a Celtics roster that still has enough talent and mettle to challenge New York going into Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. 

“Tomorrow night, New York, the Garden. This is what it is. Everybody ain’t made for that moment. Jaylen Brown (is) ready for that moment,” Smith said. “He’s ready for that moment. Derek White ain’t no joke. But the rest of them? Handle your — where’s the camera? handle your business.”

Smith was not the only basketball personality to give the Celtics some credit after they bounced back to win Game 5 without Tatum. 

Longtime basketball writer Bill Simmons noted on his podcast Wednesday night that the Celtics managed to operate with a poised, simplified approach on the offensive side of the ball with Tatum no longer available. 

“[No Tatum] did open the door for some stuff that has been pretty frustrating about this Celtics team,” Simmons said of the Celtics. “They had to band together, they all had to get a little more creative offensively. There was a lot more cutting. There was a lot more ball movement.

“Some of the stuff that handicapped this team in the past — where it was either Tatum or Brown with the ball just dribbling, especially when they had a lead and the lead would start to fritter away and then it just turned into 1-on-1 basketball — that never happened in this game. The guards were more involved. Kornet was cutting. The passing was really good. That was by far the best game they’ve played in the playoffs.”

While Boston cashed in on its barrage of shots from 3-point range (12-of-30) on Wednesday, the Celtics also doled out plenty of damage with their playmaking. 

As noted by WEEI’s Justin Turpin, the Celtics posted more assists (16) than the Knicks recorded made field goals (10) in the second half. Boston is now 4-0 this postseason when recording 20 or more assists in a game. 

After “Get Up” co-host Udonis Haslem noted earlier in the show that the Knicks should still be fine in this series, Smith took him to task. 

“No, it’s not all right! I don’t like what I saw,” Smith said. “I have not seen the Boston Celtics move the basketball like that with Tatum on the floor. But without him, all of a sudden, they’re sharing and they’re caring. It concerns me. Because if they’re sharing and caring, and they’re making the 3’s, that’s a problem.”

The Celtics will look to keep their season alive on Friday night when they take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off for Game 6 is set for 8 p.m.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.