The Boston Celtics secured their franchise’s 18th NBA Finals on Monday night after they defeated the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 106-88.

This win now sets the Celtics apart from the Los Angeles Lakers in terms of most ever championships won by a franchise. Prior to Monday night, the Lakers and Celtics both had 17 NBA Championships.

Although that didn’t stop Stephen A. Smith from dissing the Celtics during a “First Take” segment on Tuesday.

Smith and his colleagues were debating whether the Celtics are the NBA’s best ever franchise.

And despite this recent NBA Finals win, Smith still claimed the NBA’s best franchise is the Lakers.

Sports television personality Stephen A. Smith speaks before game four of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center.

Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

“I would remind you all that the Boston Celtics have 23 NBA Finals appearances,” Smith said. “The Los Angeles Lakers have 32.”

“So yes, you do have one more ring. That is fair. But the Los Angeles Lakers have nine more Finals appearances. Which means that although they have one less title, time spent in relevancy is significantly more than [the Celtics],” Smith added.

It’s an interesting argument for Smith to make.

Although his sentiment certainly isn’t going to go over well among Celtics fans on Tuesday.