Boston Celtics beat ripped for false narrative about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown not meeting Larry Bird
Spotrac's Keith Smith is sick of those who cover the Boston Celtics doing so irresponsibly. Smith took aim at the latest false narrative, that it's on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for not having met Larry Bird before the 2024 All-Star Game, and called it "stupid, disingenuous, and ignorant."
"There’s a segment of Boston media (really all media, but focusing on Boston here) that thrives on negative coverage," Smith prefaced before saying, "They’ve lost the whole 'JB and JT don’t like each other' battle, and have to make up some other negative nonsense. Now it’s become 'Celtics have a problem that their stars haven’t met Larry Bird'. They’re putting it on the Celtics and JB and JT that it’s a problem. Larry Bird was still working for the Pacers when both JB and JT started. That was issue one.
"The bigger thing: Bird doesn’t do much basketball stuff anymore. He’s retired and has made it clear he wants to stay out of the limelight and keep his privacy. He was out this weekend because ASW was in Indiana. If/when Boston gets the ASW, he’ll probably be around there too. Those are his hoops homes. Otherwise, he just stays home and enjoys being retired. Making this about the Celtics and JB and JT is just finding the next negative narrative to push. It’s stupid, disingenuous and ignorant."
No positive narrative came from All-Star Weekend, even for Boston Celtics
The 2024 All-Star Game was perhaps the least popular exhibition the Association has put on, drawing the ire of social media and getting an awkward postgame speech from Adam Silver where he clearly felt uncomfortable giving the Eastern Conference team credit for breaking the all-time scoring record in the game.
Between those 48 minutes we'll never get back, Anthony Edwards' disgraceful Skills Competition showing, and Sabrina Ionescu's 3-point shoot-out with Steph Curry having its shine dulled by Kenny "The Jet" Smith's questionable commentary about it, All-Star Weekend was a lowlight for the league.
Change is likely coming. With the NBA's In-Season Tournament now a thing, perhaps the league can move away from having a mid-February "classic" altogether and can stage the Slam Dunk Contest and 3-point contest the night before the In-Season Tournament's championship game.