Inside the NBA Mocks Boston Sports Collapse with Vrabel and Russini on 'Gone Fishing' Graphic

The past few months have been brutal for Boston’s major sports teams. The Boston Red Sox stumbled out of the gate and fired their entire coaching staff. The Boston Bruins were eliminated in the first round of the NHL Playoffs by the Buffalo Sabres. The New England Patriots suffered a humiliating loss in Super Bowl LX—more on that later—and now the Boston Celtics have blown a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers.

How historic was the Celtics’ collapse? Before their Game 7 loss on Saturday night, Boston had never lost a series after leading 3-1, holding a perfect 32-0 record in such situations. For the 76ers, the win marked their first playoff series victory over Boston since 1982.

Naturally, the hosts of Inside the NBA couldn’t resist poking fun at Boston’s misfortune. They created a “Gone Fishing” graphic featuring Celtics players alongside notable Boston figures, including Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL reporter Dianna Russini, positioned at the front of the boat in a Titanic-style nod.

The hosts initially tried to avoid the topic. Kenny Smith asked, “Who are the two people at the front?” as if baiting someone to address the elephant in the room.

“I don’t know them.” — Kenny Smith

“Stop it, stop it.” — Charles Barkley

“Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on there, Tatum and Brown. That’s all I see on that boat. I don’t see anything else.” — Ernie Johnson

The joke didn’t stop there. It circled back to the Patriots, who have been in the headlines recently due to swirling rumors about their head coach and his relationship with Russini. Vrabel even stepped away from the team for the final day of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling, emphasizing his commitment to becoming “the best version of me going forward.”

Until that version emerges, expect more moments like this one.