The Boston Celtics came ever so close to their first title since 2008 as they lost in 6 games in the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors. There were always going to be some changes in the aftermath as the Celtics look to go a step further next season.
They managed to swing a trade for Malcolm Brogdon from Indiana and also look set to sign veteran Danilo Gallinari. While they are making some good additions, a few guys had to go the other way for Brogdon, and one of them was Daniel Theis. Marcus Smart wished the outgoing players the very best, but he also took a fun jab at Theis, stating that he would never beat Smart in any card game. Theis responded by roasting Smart for once quitting on a game of UNO, and leaving the table.
First, @smart_MS3 you need me as a teammate for card games to take @Grant2Will and @Dwhite921 money 🤣
Second the last time we all played UNO on the plane you quit and left the table 🤣🤣
— Daniel Theis (@dtheis10) July 4, 2022
Theis got him good there, and Smart didn’t have anything to say in response for once. It’s always great to hear some behind-the-scenes stories like this one, and it would have been great for the Celtics if they could have a championship to remember all of this by.
The addition of Brogdon will be a big boost to their hopes of getting over the finish line next season, and Smart had also expressed his excitement at the moves the Celtics were making as he stated that he had banner 18 in mind. They do have quite the squad with them now, despite some feeling they lack a star point guard.
Smart took offense to that notion earlier as he said, “We’ve had star point guards, and yet this so-called non-point guard is the only one that’s led them to the Finals.”. In defense of Smart, he is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and did play a major role in helping them get that far, something the likes of Kyrie Irving, for example, never did during his time there. He’ll have to be at his very best once again next season, too, as recent history isn’t in their favor. The team that lost the Finals hasn’t made it back there the next year since the Cavaliers did it in 2018, something Boston would be desperate to change in the coming season.
