Woj gives mixed messages on whether or not Boston Celtics got J.B. Bickerstaff fired

Did the Boston Celtics get J.B. Bickerstaff fired from his post as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers after a gentlemen's sweep during the Eastern Conference Semifinals series or not? That is the question ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski left with an ambiguous answer on May 15 in the aftermath of a 113-98 win for the Cs that got them to their fourth Eastern Conference Finals in the last five years.

"After an Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Celtics with short-handed lineup, Cavaliers plan to take time to evaluate coach JB Bickerstaff’s future, but organization remains fond of him and marketplace is sparse of proven candidates," Wojnarowski prefaced before saying, "There will be a lot of conversations on different ways to proceed for a franchise that reached Eastern semis for first time since 2018."

Bickerstaff's Cavs fought valiantly without Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert in Game 5 but ultimately succumbed by double digits to a much superior team talent-wise. As a No. 4 seed, Cleveland did as well as anyone could've expected going up against a historically dominant No. 1-seeded Celtics.

Donovan Mitchell leaving might seal J.B. Bickerstaff's fate after Boston Celtics' gentlemen's sweep

Mitchell is as good as gone -- likely to land with the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets via trade this offseason -- so Bickerstaff's tenure as head coach might be too.

After a dominant series loss, Cleveland might want to re-shuffle the deck considering the seemingly imminent loss of their best player. It probably wouldn't be the worst thing either, since the team's cornerstone piece, Evan Mobley, is just 22 years old.

The Cavs have a serious Darius Garland problem that Mitchell's departure may force them to examine more closely, but that's another task for the offseason after Dan Gilbert picks up the pieces of a mildly disappointing season.

Cleveland should've seen this coming, but now that it's here, there's a multitude of issues that change may have to address.