Magic Johnson Finally at Peace After Celtics’ Playoffs Misery Falls on 3 Stars

Nearly three decades have passed since Magic Johnson hung up his boots and ended his illustrious career. But his hatred for the Celtics has not decreased one bit. Last year, after the Boston franchise won its record eighteenth championship, the accomplishment left the Lakers legend heartbroken. “I hate that the Celtics officially have more championships than us now.” Magic tweeted.

Of course, this hatred stems from his storied rivalry with the Celtics, dating back to the 80s. Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird. A rivalry that single-handedly revived the NBA and sparked a new era in basketball. While Magic’s career might be over, his feelings remain the same, as he said in a recent podcast, “I hate them even today, I still hate them.” So, when the Celtics crashed out in the second round last night, Magic immediately put salt on their wound by pointing out their mistakes.

“The Knicks blew out the Celtics 119-81, and because their role players, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges combined for total 66 points versus the Celtics’ role players – Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Payton Pritchard only had 23 total points combined. Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson finished with 23 points, and Miles McBride had great contribution from the bench, scoring 10 points. The Knicks’ defense smothered the Celtics tonight in their victory.” He wrote on X.

The Knicks blew out the Celtics 119-81 and because their role players OG Anunoby, Karl Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges combined for total 66 points versus the Celtics role players – Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard only had 23 total points combined. Knicks…

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 17, 2025

According to the Hall of Famer, the biggest difference last night was the Knicks’ role players outscoring the Celtics’. Apart from superstar Jalen Brunson, the remaining four starters combined for 76 points. Meanwhile, Magic put the spotlight on three Boston players who failed to step up to the occasion. Derrick White, who was coming off a dominant 34-point performance in the previous game, scored just 8 points last night. Even Jrue Holiday, the two-time champion, failed to utilize his veteran playoff experience and finished with just 4 points.

Finally, Sixth Man of the Year, Payton Pritchard, also struggled last night. He scored just 11 points off the bench. With Jayson Tatum out due to a ruptured Achilles, the Celtics needed their role players to step up and share the scoring load with Jaylen Brown. But as Magic pointed out, they failed to answer the call. The Knicks’ elite defense smothered the reigning champs. Surely, this outcome will bring some relief to Magic following the Lakers’ first-round exit, knowing that the Celtics are also out of the title race and cannot add another banner in their rafters this year.

Magic Johnson was highly critical of the Lakers after their embarrassing first-round exit

Well, this is not the first time in these playoffs that Magic has highlighted a team’s issues. Of course, seeing it happen to the Celtics this time must be peaceful, but he had a similarly critical tweet when the Lakers were sent packing in the first round. After Anthony Edwards and Co. eliminated the LA team in just five games, Magic tweeted, “Congratulations to my good friend, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, superstar Anthony Edwards, and the entire Minnesota Timberwolves team for beating my Lakers and advancing to the next round. The reason the Lakers lost was because they played awful on defense, they were too small, and the Timberwolves dominated them in the paint.”

Although Magic bleeds Purple and Gold, he did not shy away from highlighting the Lakers’ glaring weaknesses. Of course, the biggest one this season was their lack of size following the departure of Anthony Davis. An issue Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss will be looking to fix this summer. Maybe Magic’s latest tweet will also make the Celtics’ front office think about the changes they need to make to come back stronger next season, especially with Tatum likely to miss the majority of time dealing with the Achilles injury. Thoughts?

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