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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 24, 2018 16:24:12 GMT -5
I know that there are some people who don't like Marcus Smart because he does things like punches a picture frame. But, that frustration from losing is part of what makes him so good. We saw the way the Celtics played when he was out. Defense was nonexistent as was their effort and aggressiveness.
With Smart back in the rotation last night, the effort and aggressiveness were back. Smart brings energy off the bench and he is the linchpin of the defense. He does so many little things that will never show up in the box score but always show up in the win column.
I don't believe the rumors that were swirling that they were trying to trade him for a pick. I read later that teams were making offers for him but Danny wanted too much for him for anyone to want to trade. I'm all for giving Smart a decent contract this summer to keep him. It won't be easy to replace all the little things that he brings to the team if he leaves.
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Post by afceltic on Feb 24, 2018 18:45:18 GMT -5
If he wants anything more than 10M, (which is approximately the MLE now) then we have to let him walk. You can't overpay for intangibles as we have already done that in a massive way with Al. You need guys who can score to win in this league as defense isn't as important as it once was because of the pansy new rules the league has adopted over the past decade plus to increase scoring. That is why I say guys like Curry wouldn't make it as a starter in the league prior to Stern changing the rules to penalize good defense. He is too small and wouldn't be able to take someone being physical with him night in and night out.
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Post by jmost on Feb 24, 2018 22:34:39 GMT -5
The Celtics actually started something like 5-1 without Smart, with the lone loss being a close one at GS, so it's hard to credit his absence for being the sole reason for their later slump. It's fair to say we're a better defensive team with him, but we're also a better offensive team without him. In fact, the ball moved about as well as it did all year in the games when both he and Kyrie were out. Smart has his positive traits, but I feel the same way about him as I did about Antoine, which is that no team featuring them in a prominent role will ever win an NBA title.
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Post by eja117 on Feb 25, 2018 9:26:44 GMT -5
Smart drives me nuts at this point. I think his passing has gotten better. He's a legit 7th man combo guard passer. Defensively I actually think he's overrated. I think he's an above average defender for 3 quarters and then he's one of the best 4th quarter defenders in the game, especially in close games. But maybe the game wouldn't be so close if he didn't clang all those shots. People sorta look at his best hits albums and say that's the way he is. Like he stopped Harden for 7 minutes. That's a very difficult thing but 7 minutes isn't 7 games. Last year in the playoffs a couple guards did very well against us such as Rondo and Kyrie. You'd never think they were being guarded by Avery and Smart.
I didn't think we'd miss him recently but then we really did.
I just think it's a matter of money and how he does in the playoffs. Every game is an audition for him now.
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Post by Roadrunner on Feb 25, 2018 12:12:05 GMT -5
I think what fuels the Smart shots is the lack of ball movement, and he has the ball when the shot clock is running down. I think he is a top-15 player, defensive.
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Post by jhvos7979 on Feb 25, 2018 18:03:52 GMT -5
I think what fuels the Smart shots is the lack of ball movement, and he has the ball when the shot clock is running down. I think he is a top-15 player, defensive. Agreed with the lack of ball movement causes a lot of the bad habits with Marcus. At least since he came back from injury he's showing improvement on shot selection that are more with the flow of the offense rather than force long 3-pointers. Hopefully that trend continues for the rest of the season. |
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Post by Roadrunner on Feb 26, 2018 19:14:50 GMT -5
I think what fuels the Smart shots is the lack of ball movement, and he has the ball when the shot clock is running down. I think he is a top-15 player, defensive. Agreed with the lack of ball movement causes a lot of the bad habits with Marcus. At least since he came back from injury he's showing improvement on shot selection that are more with the flow of the offense rather than force long 3-pointers. Hopefully that trend continues for the rest of the season. I was watching the highlights today at lunch. I gotta wonder if Coach Stevens told Smart, to keep the shot selection honest. Probably his best game all season, shot selection wise. |
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Post by jmost on Mar 10, 2018 10:26:20 GMT -5
Periodically I check the game logs ( www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/2990992/marcus-smart ) to see if my rule of thumb with Smart holds true - which is that the less he shoots, the better team we are. Since he came back from injury we are 6-1. In the six wins, he has shot 5 times twice, 7 times twice and 9 times twice. All wins. In the one loss, he shot 12 times. When Smart is as active defensively as he was Thursday night against the T-Wolves, and adds put-backs and drives, I like his game. When he chucks up uncalled for 3's with tons of time left on the shot-clock he drives me crazy. |
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Post by Roadrunner on Mar 10, 2018 23:58:31 GMT -5
Periodically I check the game logs ( www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/2990992/marcus-smart ) to see if my rule of thumb with Smart holds true - which is that the less he shoots, the better team we are. Since he came back from injury we are 6-1. In the six wins, he has shot 5 times twice, 7 times twice and 9 times twice. All wins. In the one loss, he shot 12 times. When Smart is as active defensively as he was Thursday night against the T-Wolves, and adds put-backs and drives, I like his game. When he chucks up uncalled for 3's with tons of time left on the shot-clock he drives me crazy. Smart, playing great defense, not looking for his shot, I like. Taking more shots than Tatum, and connecting for half as less, I do not like. |
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