ESPN’s Celtics Mockery Turns Into Swipe at Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel

The Boston Celtics lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round despite taking a 3-1 lead in the first four games.

ESPN’s Celtics Mockery Turns Into Swipe at Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel

Charles Barkley, Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Charles Barkley's Inside the NBA mocked the Boston Celtics after their Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
  • The Celtics, who had a 3-1 series lead, became the first team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after such a lead.
  • The show featured a graphic with Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini, referencing the Celtics' playoff exit and the New England Patriots' cheating scandal.

Even if they did not cover the game, Charles Barkley and his Inside the NBA crew started their coverage of both the Eastern Conference Game 7s with an analysis of the Boston Celtics’ Game 6 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

They knew that the Massachusetts-based team had the momentum at the start of this first-round series. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the charge, it felt as if the Celtics were going to advance to the second round.

Then Joel Embiid returned, and the momentum started shifting towards the 76ers. Barkley played for them during his first few years and naturally wanted them to advance.

The Sixers obliged and took advantage of Tatum’s absence to build a good lead. But the Celtics clawed back at the deficit in the fourth quarter.

Despite all that effort, the 76ers held on to win the series in seven games. Considering they have a tradition of sending teams leaving the playoffs fishing, the crew of Inside the NBA had to take shots at the Celtics.

At the front of the boat were Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini, enacting the iconic Titanic pose. Both Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley understood the reference and jokingly called out their digital media team for this edit.

The team had the usual Boston-based fanatics and celebrities on the boat. But to have the New England Patriots’ head coach and the former Athletic Insider on national television was a direct shot at their cheating scandal.

Kenny Smith tried to play coy and kept asking who they were. But his colleagues ensured they would not openly call out Vrabel and Russini’s names, especially with the scandal wreaking havoc.

Celtics’ first-round exit ends tumultuous run for Boston sports

A couple of years ago, the Boston Celtics brought back championship glory to the city, and fans were out in droves to celebrate it. That was the last time the city tasted success.

Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum
Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

This year, the Celtics were supposed to take a back seat, just like Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots were last season. But the latter reached the Super Bowl, and their basketball team surprised everyone by finishing second in the East.

However, the Patriots lost embarrassingly to the Seattle Seahawks. That, though, was not the first major problem for Boston-based teams this past calendar year.

Just a few days ago, their NHL franchise, the Boston Bruins, was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Boston Red Sox started the year with a 10-17 record. That ended up costing Alex Cora his job as manager.

Now, with the Celtics exiting in the first round despite building a 3-1 lead, Boston fans are probably going through the motions. Neither of their teams is going to bring success, and with Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini’s controversy, it has made matters worse.

Celtics break their NBA record streak with loss to Sixers

Some might attribute this loss to Jayson Tatum’s absence. However, the reality is that this Boston Celtics team was thriving before he returned from his Achilles tendon tear.

It was more about them not being good enough to take on a healthy Philadelphia 76ers team, rather than any excuse. But by doing that, they could not help but continue a record the franchise has been holding on to for eternity.

The Celtics were 32-0 whenever they took a 3-1 lead in the playoffs. That NBA record is now over after the Sixers ensured they were the ones booking tickets to face the New York Knicks in the second round.

Now, the Boston-based franchise’s time to regroup in the offseason and figure out what they need to build towards another potential championship run.

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