The Boston Celtics invited a boatload of criticism for their lackluster efforts Sunday night—and boy did the criticism come. Needing a win to avoid a 3-0 series hole in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics let the Miami Heat walk all over them in Game 3 and suffered a 128-102 defeat that pushed their season to the brink. Postgame capsule Celtics push to brink after blast loss in Game 3 |Listen & Subscribe The heat embarrassed the C's to the point where the magic Johnson, who usually avoids hot reception, burned to his old rival on social media. It's time for the Boston Celtics to make big changes. - Earvin Magic Johnson May 22, 2023 A 44-year-old Boston Celtics team with which I was associated with the NBA, a franchise with 17 championships, I never thought I'd quit. I know Celtics fans all over the world must be disgusted and devastated. The Miami Heat blew them 128-102 in Game 3. -Earvin Magic Johnson May 22, 2023 “When I was associated with 44 years of the NBA, I never thought I'd see a Boston Celtics team... left,” Johnson wrote, adding that Celtics fans must feel "disgusted" and "devastated" after such a bad loss. , sat starters throughout the entire fourth quarter. We imagined Johnson was taking some pleasure in posting these tweets, even as the Lakers beat the Celtics three times in the 1980s NBA Finals, even as Johnson found Los Angeles 3-0 to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Charles Barkley had no reservations about stakes in the Celtics after Game 3. In fact, TNT analyst and NBA Hall of Famer scored a shot in the C's in the middle of his crew's interview with Heat Guard Gabe Vincent, who scored a goal in the game with a high 29 points. Vincent "[Celtics] are a really good team... they won't lie down." Chuck "You obviously didn't watch the game tonight. ... Go look at the plug again."ð ipzzrwdsdk - NBA on TNT May 22, 2023 "Obviously you didn't watch the game tonight," Barkley replied, saying Vincent expects the Celtics to come out strong in Game 4. The C's may not enjoy this snark on the national stage, but they brought it upon themselves with poor performances at both ends. With much more effort and motivation - and a win than ending Boston's season as a result. Game 4 is set on Tuesday at 830pm ET in Miami, while NBC Sports Boston's coverage begins at 7pm ET. Gotopnews.com