A day after he apologized for predicting the Heat would steamroll the Celtics, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith completed his 180, projecting Armageddon for the South Beachers after Tuesday's Game 5 flop.
"I don't believe they will win Game 6," Smith says in a spirited debate with Skip Bayless on Wednesday's First Take (video above). "Even if they win Game 6 and a miracle happens -- I've gotten to a point where it's going to be a miracle if they win this series -- they're certainly not winning an NBA world championship.
"Not only is this series over, everything's over for Miami. I think the lose Thursday night in Boston. I think after that, we don't know if Erik Spoelstra will be be back. I think after that, we don't know if the big three (Miami's, not Boston's) will be together. And I hope that they live the entire offseason wondering what on earth is going to happen. I hope they are upset. I hope they are uncomfortable. I hope they are stressed. I hope they are embarrassed. I hope everything, because they have flagrantly failed to live up to expectations.
"They have done everything wrong. And in this particular series here, they have been have been so conspicuously exposed I don't even know how to put it into words. Boston has taught them what perimeter shooters are. Boston has taught them what clutch gene really is. Boston has taught them what committed collectively as a unit is all about. They've shown what a true team is. They've shown what desire is. They've shown heart and guts.
"That's not to say that Miami can't do it ... I'm saying I don't believe they will because I don't believe they want it bad enough."